Rosario to Elf
by LunarSkies2383
Summary: Many years had passed since his promise to meet her again. However, things are never as simple as they seem. Kohta x Kaede/Lucy/Nyu and other possible pairings. R&R please.
1. Till we meet

Rosario to Elf

Disclaimer: I do not own Elfen Lied, Rosario + Vampire, or any characters associated with either of the series.

"talking"

_thoughts_

* * *

Till We Meet . . . .

* * *

On the beach in the late afternoon, two children at the age of eight played happily with each other as a pink haired girl ran alongside a tanned boy across the sandy shore.

Simply these two were crazy about each other as they spent every waking moment they could in each other's presence. But to say they were the best of friends couldn't quite explain it as the bond they shared was even closer than that. Every time they were together it was almost like everything was right with the world. But like all good things, they must eventually come to an end.

Now close to the early evening, the pair sat quietly next to each other against a boulder looking out to the setting sun. The tanned youth looked to his friend as a wide smile began to spread along his face to which she in turn did the same. But it slowly crept away as she looked towards the horizon. "Kohta . . . . Will I be . . . . Able to see you again?"

The tanned youth chuckled at her question. "Of course you will! We've been together for all this time. There's no way I won't be able to see you".

The pale girl looked down at his statement. ". . . . How long will you be away?"

Kohta scratched his head in thought as he pondered this. "I'm not really sure. Father is having some sort of business trip and wants me and Kanae to come with him. So I'm not sure how long I'll be gone or when will will meet up again".

Her lips slightly wavered as tears began to form in her eyes.

At seeing her current reaction, the tanned youth immediately dug into his pocket as he slowly stretched out his arm to her revealing the contents in his hand.

"What's that?" she sniffled out.

"It's a jade stone I found when we were playing out in the forest. I wanted to give it to you because it was really pretty and it deserves to go to someone as pretty as you".

The pale girl blushed as a smile began creep back onto her face. "Thank you Kohta, it's very beautiful".

"But it isn't just a gift" smiled Kohta. "It's a promise!"

". . . . A promise?" she asked.

"Yeah! A promise that one day I'll come back to you and we'll make up for the lost time between us!"

The tanned youth blushed as the pink haired girl leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. Kohta let out a soft chuckle as he rubbed the back of his head. "It's a promise right?"

He then went in as he hugged his best friend. "Of course it is! We'll be together again, right Kaede-chan?"

* * *

~ Bus (7 years later) ~

Kohta woke up from his seat as he grabbed his face from the dream he had. He then rubbed his eyes as the drowsiness slowly faded away. As he sat up right, he looked out the window to see absolute darkness passing him by as the bus went along. He then let out a sigh closing his eyes before reopening them. " _. . . . It's that dream again. What is it supposed to mean?_"

"You're a student enrolling at Youkai academy, right?"

Kohta perked up as it was apparent the bus driver was talking to him (seeing he was the only one riding). "Ah, yeah".

"In that case, you had best prepare yourself. When we come out of this long tunnel we'll be right in front of the school. Youkai academy . . . . is a very horrifying school" as the bus driver gave out a creepy chuckle. Soon enough they arrived to their destination as Kohta was promptly kicked out as he watched the bus drive away.

He then looked out to the surrounding area to see how . . . . peculiar everything was. Simply, the school grounds looked like they were something out of a very well organized haunted house set-up. Not that he was scared or anything, it just felt like a weird place to be at. ". . . . Well it could be worse" soon shrugging it off he made his way towards campus grounds.

As he walked, he contemplated at how he even got to where he was.

Seven years ago when he was only eight, his father and sister died mysteriously in a bizarre accident which left him alone and orphaned. Of course he had relatives that took him in. But even for his young mind he understood he was being a burden to them for the stress he caused them financially just to support him. So by the time he graduated junior high he decided to make himself more useful as he didn't want to trouble the people around him anymore.

Interestingly that same day, a mysterious flyer soon came into his possession. On it was information about a high school known as Youkai academy. Without a second thought he decided to attend as the school required no fees or entrance exams. So going there was practically a no brainer to him.

But now back in the present world, Kohta had to admit that the place was getting weirder and weirder by the second as he walked along. "Is there some sort of event going on right now?"

"Excuse me, can you help me?"

"Huh?" the tanned youth looked around to see no one about. He then scratched his cheek, "must have been my imagination".

"Up here!"

Kohta looked up to be surprised to see a girl up there. "Huh, what are you doing up in that tree?"

"A baby bird fell out its nest and I wanted to put him back. But now I'm stuck up here".

He then gave out a strained chuckle. "I'm assuming you can't just climb down".

The girl shook her head as she clamped onto the branch for dear life. "I didn't realize how high up I was before I looked down. Now I don't know what to do".

Kohta rubbed the back of his head as he contemplated the situation. "Umm . . . . Well . . . . What do you want me to do?"

"Catch me!"

"Ehh!"

Without a moment to think about it the girl let go of the branch forcing the panicked youth to immediately position himself to catch her. As they made contact, the pair crashed into the ground making a large thud as they landed.

"Oh" he moaned out, "that hurt". Kohta slowly opened his eyes, but as he did this blood immediately rushed to his head as it threatened to spill right out of him. Apparently the girl on top of him managed to break her fall by using his face as a landing pad for her twin mounds.

"I'm sorry for troubling you like that" said the girl as she sat up on his belly. "I hope you're not hurt".

"No! Not at all!" he stuttered as he looked away while waving his hands. "Umm . . . . would it be OK if you get off me . . . ."

"Ohh! Sorry"

As the pair separated Kohta couldn't help but continue blushing as he looked to her. The girl in question was indeed quite beautiful. Her appearance was quite elegant as she had long silky pink hair, fine porcelain pale skin, and a pair of crimson eyes that was quite the sight to see. But what caught his attention next was a pair of horns which seemed to be intruding off her head. "_Must be some sort of cosplay thing_". He then stood up as he dusted himself off. "That was very dangerous you know. You could've gotten hurt".

"I know" said the girl. "But I couldn't just leave the baby lying there all alone on the road. So I had to do something. Besides I had this really good feeling that you would have been there to save me".

Kohta's eyebrow rose slightly before he replaced it with a soft smile. "That's really nice of you".

"Thank you!" as she then jumped onto him giving him a deep hug while displaying a brilliant sunny smile.

"Wow, you are really friendly".

The pink haired girl giggled as she backed away. "I'm sorry for dropping in on you like that. By the way, my name is Nyu, Nyu Hikaru. What is your name?"

"Oh uhh umm it's Kohta, Kohta Hisashi" the tanned youth stuttered out.

The girl giggled again as she grabbed his hand in both of hers. "It's very nice to meet you Kohta-kun. I hope we can be friends! I was feeling lonely since I didn't know anyone here!"

Kohta was slightly breathless at how spontaneous this girl was. But perhaps that was what was attracting him to her. Yet strangely, some part of him felt like everything was going to be alright so long as she was right next to him all the way. " _. . . . But why do I get this feeling that I should know who she is?_" He shook his head at this notion. "Well anyways I'm very pleased to meet you".

"I'm also very pleased to meet you too" smiled Nyu. "When the entrance ceremony is over please talk to me some more OK".

With that the pair walked happily side by side with each other as they made their way into Youkai academy.

To be continued . . . .

* * *

Author's notes: This was just an idea I had. Additionally this is also the pilot chapter to gauge if I'll continue the story or not.

Now concerning the story it will mostly be focused on Kohta and Kaede/Lucy/Nyu relationship. Of course I'll also be using other characters from both mangas. But of course I'll see what happens first as there are a lot of things I thought about concerning much of the construction of this story.

So I thank you for reading this fic and I hope you review it as well.


	2. That's not True

Rosario to Elf

Disclaimer: I do not own Elfen Lied, Rosario + Vampire, or any characters associated with either of the series.

"talking"

_thoughts_

_

* * *

_

That's not true . . . .

* * *

After orientation Kohta wandered around the halls curious to where his class was. But at the same time the image of that pink haired girl kept circling his mind. "_Talk to me some more after orientation OK_" were the words he remembered from her. He then closed his eyes in contemplation. "_What am I thinking? She was way too cute to be interested in me_". He then looked up to see his assigned classroom. "Well I'll probably not see her again".

He then took his seat as did everyone else as their teacher walked in. Kohta's eyebrow perked a bit at how unusual their teacher seemed. If he had to characterize her, she seemed to sort of resemble a fox. "_Strange to think of her like that . . . ._"

"Hello everyone!" called the teacher enthusiastically. "I'll be your homeroom teacher for the year. You can all address me as Kodo-sensei. I'm pretty sure everyone should know this already, but this is a school for monsters".

"_Wait . . . . what?_" thought Kohta. "_Is this supposed to be some sort of joke?_"

"This school was developed in a separate dimensional territory so humans wouldn't know we exist. But in order for peace to prevail, this school was made for demons and humans to coexist by teaching us how to better get along with them. For the purpose of practice, you'll all have to stay in your human disguises when you're here and until you graduate. So I hope we all have a good year ahead of us".

" _. . . . This can't be true, right?_ _This all have to be a dream!_" Everything Kohta had come to know was falling to pieces. I mean the idea of demons actually being real was just too much of a radical idea. All they were supposed to be were just stories told to children to scare them. But here they were as they were quite real. The more he tried to deny it, the more it became apparent as he recalled the environment around him. "What am I going to do?" holding his head.

"Oye sensei, so there are absolutely no humans here?"

"Nope, and besides if there was any they would immediately be killed as human presence here is intolerable".

" _. . . . I'm going to die . . . ._"

"Oh I'm sorry for being late, I kind of got lost after the orientation" said a pink haired girl at entering the room.

"_Wow, she's a cute one_", "its OK you didn't miss much. So just take your seat and we'll begin".

Upon her entrance many became captivated by her appearance.

"Wow, who is that girl?"

"She's gorgeous, extremely gorgeous!"

"We must have been lucky to have her in our class!"

"Wooh! Even for a disguise she's an extremely beautiful girl!"

The said girl then walked down the aisle until a certain tanned youth caught her eye. "Kohta-kun?"

"Nyu-san?"

"You're here!" she said cheerfully. In that moment, she jumped on him giving him a hug to which as a reaction he couldn't help but blush.

"Hey! Who the hell is that guy?"

"What relation does he have with our pretty girl?"

"He better be going away soon!"

"We can always just kill him later ya know".

* * *

~ Hallway (after class) ~

"This turned out rather . . . . interestingly" blushed Kohta. At this moment, he was escorting a pink beauty around campus by her request. He had no idea why she would choose him. I mean let's face it; he was a nobody with nothing really to offer. But yet for some strange reason she chose him, and for another equally strange reason a part of him felt complete as long as she stood by him. Although it was nice to have a beautiful girl hanging off his arm, he could've really done without the murderous atmosphere following right behind him.

"That guy is still with her!"

"He better get lost soon!"

"We should just kill him now".

"Well if she does get taken, there is always that other pink haired girl".

"But isn't she already with that other guy?"

"Nah, he'll probably be gone later".

Now after some walking the pair soon found themselves on the rooftop overlooking the entire school. After settling down a bit something troubling began to sink into the tanned youth as he looked to his pink compatriot. "You're a monster too . . . . right?"

Nyu looked to him slightly confused before going back to her sunny disposition. "Of course, this is a school for monsters after all".

He then looked to the top of her head pointing them out. "But . . . . your horns . . . ."

The ditzy girl blinked at the statement before raising her hands to feel the bone appendages on her head. Her face then went to shock at now realizing it. "Oh no! I didn't know they were showing!" She then looked to her strange bracelet as she gave a strained laugh. "Looks like I forgot to turn it on". With one turn of the green jewel her horns disappeared right before his eyes.

"So . . . . you were just in your original form?"

Nyu shook head. "Not exactly, physically that was my original form. But I didn't have any of my original abilities with me".

". . . . Huh?"

"I'm actually a new demon species known as a diclonius, and for all technical reasoning I'm closer to human than anything else". She then pressed her finger against her lips, "I remembered having other powers, but now all I can do", "_is this_".

"_Telepathy?_" thought Kohta.

Nyu nodded happily to him.

He then looked to her strange bracelet. "So is that some sort of sealing charm?"

The ditzy girl raised her wrist as she looked fondly to it. "I'm not really sure actually . . . ."

". . . . ?"

"I've had this ever since I could remember" said Nyu. "But I don't know its exact purpose. All I know about it is that it hides my horns and limits my powers".

Kohta examined the device more closely as he saw how strangely configured it was. Although it looked like any normal silver bracelet, one part of it seemed like an eight digit combination lock that people used on lockers. However on the other side, his eyes became glued to what he saw. On it was a strange jade colored jewel which almost seemed to be glowing. If he didn't know any better, he could've sworn it was looking at him.

"_No! Stop it!_" Kohta jumped back slightly as he placed his hand over his heart. "_What was that?_"

"Something wrong Kohta-kun?"

"No, nothing" giving a nervous chuckle while waving his hands. "Hmm? Uhh, What is it?" at seeing the pink haired girl now point blank to him.

"You must be a very powerful demon Kohta-kun".

"Wha . . . . What makes you think that?"

Nyu held her chin as she began compiling her reasons. "Well I don't sense any energy from you and only the most strongest of seals can do that. But not unless this is your original form which must mean you're exceptionally strong".

"What do you mean by that?"

"Although sensing energy is an accurate way of seeing how powerful a demon is, there size and shape also constitutes to this. In today's demon society it is more or less established that the closer to human they look originally the stronger they must be to be able to compress all that power".

Kohta again let out a nervous chuckle. "Then you must be a very powerful demon too Nyu-san".

The girl scratched her cheek as she thought about it. "I wouldn't know anything about that. In comparison to the more developed species like the werewolves, vampires, succubus, and yukionnas I'm still new to this chain of power since . . . ."

"What?"

"I'm the only one of my kind . . . ."

"You're the only one?"

Nyu nodded as she held onto the railing looking sadly down to the ground below. "I'm the only one of my kind. My caretaker thinks I might have originated from the oni. But being the only one in the entire world . . . . it really is such a lonely existence . . . ." She then gasped as a feeling of warmth blanketed her from behind. "Kohta-kun?"

"You're not alone anymore" as Kohta whispered into her. "If you ever need someone to talk too I'll be there for you. Although I may not be of your kind, I'll more than happy to be your friend".

The ditzy girl blushed as he continued to hold her. But a solemn expression then appeared as she displayed a fond smile before letting out a low laugh.

"Did I . . . . say something funny?"

"You're such a charmer Kohta-kun. I didn't think you were such flirtatious person" as she began to laugh a bit louder.

"No! I didn't mean it like that. I was being serious". But she continued to laugh harder the more he tried to defend himself.

"But thank you for being my first friend" as she turned to hug him.

Kohta stepped back slightly, but then slowly held her too. "_How strange . . . . this feels somewhat . . . . nostalgic_".

"I almost forgot to ask Kohta-kun, what kind of monster are you?"

" . . . . Uhh"

"Oh I'm sorry for asking. We're not actually supposed to ask this question".

However his mind completely blanked on this. Honestly he didn't think that far ahead. The fact still stood that this was Youkai academy, a school for demons. So with his weak human constitution his chances of survival were not looking good. For the girl he held in his arms was one of them. Although he said he would be her first friend there still existed that barrier that he was a human and she was a demon. If this relationship were to last, it cannot be based on a lie. But if that were the case, then how was he supposed to approach this matter? " . . . . Nyu-san . . . . What do you think about humans?"

Her eyes widened before slanting darkening a bit. "I hate them . . . ."

" . . . ."

"During . . . . my time in the human world . . . . they treated me like I was a freak. Even though I told them that monsters were real and how friendly they were they all just laughed at me. Many even hurt me . . . . So I hate them because they are everything they described a monster to be".

" . . . . and what if I told you I was one of those hated humans . . . ."

" . . . . ?"

Kohta faced away from her as he looked down in contemplation. "I'm sorry . . . . Nyu-san, but I am no one special. I'm just a normal human being who by freak accident somehow ended up here".

Nyu's eyes reflected shock as she started to hyperventilate a bit. "It can't be . . . .There is no way you could've gotten into the school".

He turned back placing his hands on her shoulder. "I may not understand the intricate between humans and demons. But I do know one thing, and that's regardless of your species you can't live your life based on hate".

"Kohta-kun . . . ."

The tanned youth sighed as he had nothing more to say. "Well I guess being friends with a human must really disgust you. Now if you'll excuse me then . . . ." as he began moving towards the door. But before he could leave, the door suddenly popped open as three delinquent looking guys came through.

"So this is where you guys were".

"We were kind of hoping on giving our introductions to the cute girl behind you".

"So you don't mind pissing off now, right?"

Kohta gave them a slight glare as they approached him. It was rather obvious they were up to no good, and if he left he would be leaving Nyu to their mercy. Although she would not want anything to do with him, the idea of leaving her to these three punks did not sit well with him. "I think you should leave. You have no business being here".

"Rather mouthy for a weak demon".

"Yeah, you must be pathetically weak if I can't even sense any of your aura".

But that would not deter him for standing up for what he believed in. "I demand that you leave now".

In response to this, he was punched in the face causing him to crash to the ground.

"Kohta-kun!"

The thugs laughed as one of them picked him up lifting him an inch off the ground. "Man, I didn't think you would be this weak. This is like taking candy from a baby" as he was then slammed into the ground before getting lifted back up again. "I could almost swear you were human if you're already this hurt". As he was about to get slammed again, the thug was stopped as Nyu clung to his arm.

"Please stop hurting him!"

"Nyu-san! Get back!"

"No!" as tears began to appear in her eyes. "I don't care what you are!"

Kohta's eyes bulged in surprise to her statement.

"Whether you're human or demon it doesn't matter! You're my first friend and that is all that I care about!"

"Noisy b**ch" before throwing her off as she flew at the metal railing. "We'll deal with you later. But first we need to take care of this little weakling" before throwing him to another side of the roofs edge.

"Kohta-kun!" as Nyu quickly got up to make her way to him. "Are you alright? Please say something!"

The tanned youth looked up to see her sad face. He then wiped the tear from her eye. "Don't cry, if anything I need you to be brave for me now. I'm going to try to make an opening so take that time to escape and go get help".

"No! I can't leave you here!"

"Well it's about time we get this party started ", and at that note the three delinquents began to mutate before them into their original forms. If anything, this only reinforced for Kohta that demons were quite real. Additionally at the sight of their grotesque forms, getting out had become even more difficult.

"_This is not going to be easy . . . ._" thought Kohta as he tried to keep his wits upon him. "Nyu-san, go when I give the signal".

"You'll be killed, I can't leave you like this!"

"There is no time to argue! Just go!" as he grabbed her wrist to provoke her into action. However, something strange began to occur. Without thinking he grabbed her bracelet as the jewelry started to shake wildly as the green eye began to glow eerily. "What is going on?" He then looked to Nyu as her horns reappeared, but more than that the very feeling of her presence changed as she soon stood up walking towards the three delinquents.

As for the thugs, they knew something didn't feel right as she approached them. Simply, it felt like something huge was walking right up to them. "So you think you can just take whatever you want when you want huh? Come back after a few years when you get some real power to oppose me".

"What was that?" But two of them were then lifted into the air as they were slammed against each other before being smashed into the ground and then being imprinted into the wall.

"Pathetic, already knocked out with only a small use of my powers" Nyu smirked arrogantly.

Kohta sat up against the railing as he watched with amazement. "Incredible, that must have been telekinesis". But he didn't understand why the thugs were so surprised. Although they were fast, he saw as several translucent hands originating from Nyu snaked towards them as they attacked her targets. Even though they were a bit difficult to see, they weren't invisible as he could see them.

"W . . . . Wait. This was all just a misunderstanding. We were only having a little fun. There is no need to hurt me!"

Kohta then saw as Nyu wrapped one of the translucent arms around her own as she squeezed her hand into a fist while approaching them. "A little fun huh? Then don't mind if I do!" as she imprinted four of her knuckles into his face making the third indenture on the wall next to this friends. "Don't think you can do as you please when it comes to me, know your place". She then turned around as she started walking back to Kohta.

The tanned youth felt slightly afraid at what he saw. He didn't know what she was going to do after seeing her change in demeanor and her raw use of power. So doing the first thing he had in mind, "Are you OK Nyu-san?"

The girl looked down to him before smirking at him. "You can see my vectors can't you?"

"Vectors?" The translucent hand was then waved in front of him which answered his question.

She then kneeled before him still holding her arrogant smirk. "You are a rather interesting boy I'll give you that. So I won't kill you yet. But since my other is already so infatuated with you I'll hold you responsible with her well being during the times I am asleep".

". . . .What?"

"You also seem to be the only one to wake me up. So call me whenever trouble occurs and as an added bonus I'll extend my protection to you too" her smirk then turned to a glare. "But be reminded that she and I both share the same body so don't do anything stupid like taking advantage of her because I will know". Her eyes then closed as she started to drift off to sleep. "So until we meet again Kohta. Oh and for reference sake, my name is Lucy" and with that she fell asleep as her horns disappeared again returning her presence to what it formerly was.

Kohta caught her as she rested soundly on his chest. As he looked down to her peaceful expression he couldn't help but sigh at how much trouble was dumped onto his lap in one day. First the existence of monsters, then getting into a fight on the first day of classes, and now having to watch over his split personality friend. "This is sure going to be a very interesting high school life". Although he had the choice to simply leave this all behind by jumping on a bus and never looking back, leaving Nyu just didn't seem right to him. If keeping her by his side meant facing danger each day, it was a risk worth taking if someday he were to discover why she meant so much to him.

To be continued . . . .

* * *

Authors notes: Story is still on trial if I'll continue it or not. But anyways Kaede/Lucy/Nyu use of Moka's trademark statement was purely coincidental.

Anyways the pair will slowly come to meet the Rosario+Vampire cast as the story progresses. I just hope I don't screw this up.

**redrain8696** – Thank you for reading, and I do hope you examination goes well.

**warrior of six blades** – Thank you and I'll try.

**Master of** – Thank you for your interests and I'll try to make the chapters longer.

So now I thank you all for reading this fic and also further extend my gratitude if you can review it as well.


	3. The Succubus's Charm

Rosario to Elf

Disclaimer: I do not own Elfen Lied, Rosario + Vampire, or any characters associated with either of the series.

"talking"

_thoughts_

* * *

The Succubus's charm

* * *

It was a nice sunny morning as a tanned youth walked on the main road along many other students towards Youkai Academy.

A week had now gone by since he entered the school, and at this time he was thinking about a lot of things.

"_My name is Kohta Hasashi. I'm fifteen years old, single, and without anything really special to say about myself. Now by some incredible situation, I somehow ended up at Youkai Academy. However it is not as it appears_". He then looked around to see a couple of students deform and change as their bodies grew in some very unusual proportions. "_As you can see this is a school for monsters_". Kohta then looked up dreamily. "_But there is a reason to why I stay at this school_".

Right on cue, a pink haired appeared to his side as she clamped onto his arm. "Good-morning Kohta-kun!"

Kohta smiled to the pink haired girl. "Good-morning Nyu-san", "_Now looking at this girl, she may appear to be any normal human. But in truth she is actually a monster. Although this is true, I don't really mind because for some reason I have this feeling that I must always be by her side as she must be by mine_".

Although it was nice having a beautiful girl hanging off his arm, he could've done without the murderous glares beaming into his neck.

"Who the hell is that guy?"

"Why is a beautiful chick like her hanging out with a guy like him?"

"Can we kill him yet?"

But luckily Kohta didn't have to stick around as his pink friend quickly dragged him away towards the forest.

"Nyu-san, why are we here? Aren't we going to be late for class?"

"I just wanted to show you something" she smiled.

"Oh, what's that?"

"This!" as she pointed to a nearby patch of flowers.

Kohta gave a solemn expression while giving a choked laugh. "That's nice".

Nyu then turned around as she gave a pout. "You don't like them do you?"

He waved his hands innocently, "no, it's not that". He then leaned down picking up a flower. "I just think it doesn't do enough justice in comparison to the flower in front of me".

The ditzy girl blushed as the flower was slid onto her ear. "Thank you Kohta-kun".

"You're welcome" he smiled.

"Ahh! I'm not your snack!"

The pair looked to the commotion as they saw a boy now running away from a pink haired girl.

Kohta's eyebrow perched at the sight. He then looked to the girl. "Someone you know?" implicating the pink hair they shared.

Nyu shook her head. "Not that I know. I'm an only child".

They then saw as the pink haired girl walked away slightly sad at what the boy said. "_Hmm, I wonder what was up with him?_"

* * *

~ History class ~ (afternoon)

Most of the class was in and out as they listened to the lecture. But Kohta found it rather interesting as he was getting a lot out of the experience.

In listening, he learned that monsters have been a part of human history for the longest time. But there existences were mostly present during the greatest conflicts in human history as armies would contract them to take part in human affairs. One of the biggest incidences of human and demon activity were in the last half century during the First and Second World War. But now and days humans who still know demons exist contract them as assassins or add them to their private security or army, if they can afford them of course.

"Yes, Hasashi-kun" said the teacher picking on Kohta's raised hand.

"Is there any record pre-dating three thousand years ago?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Well I was always curious of the origin of us . . . . monsters . . . . So I was wondering if there were any records of this".

"Hmm, a very fascinating question Hasashi-kun. But a question better answered in your biology class. However to the best of our knowledge before the age of humans, it was once believed that our two races were actually one a long time ago. But after some pre-dated time the races became what they are now".

"Interesting" said Kohta. "But why exactly?"

The teacher shrugged at this. "By a lot of evolutionary biology, there could be a lot of reasons. But let me remind you that this is a history class".

"Sorry sensei".

"My Hasashi-kun, with the way you were asking questions you were either completely dense or actually one of those ignorant humans" which caused most of the class to laugh at this.

"Right" as Kohta gave off a strained chuckle.

* * *

~ Hallway ~ (afternoon)

As the class ended, it was now lunch time as everyone was preparing to go to the hallway. But as Kohta exited, Nyu was immediately at his side.

"You should be careful about what you do Kohta-kun. It would be bad if your secret were to get out".

"Yeah, but it was rather interesting. There is so much lost history between humans and monsters I just kind of got absorbed into the lecture".

"Well if you want to study more about the topic then . . . ."

"Hmm?"

"Would you like for us to study together?" smiled Nyu.

Kohta gave a slight blush at the offer. "_Well it would give me more time to spend with Nyu. Maybe then I'll understand my attraction to her_", "yeah sure".

The ditzy girl nodded happily to this. But then a worried expression appeared as the tanned youth began to hold his head. "What's wrong? Are you hurt somewhere?"

Kohta shuck his head. "No, I feel this weird sensation in my head. Almost like there's some kind of voice other then my own talking at the moment".

Nyu wanting to understand used her telepathy and instantly heard what her friend was hearing. However it was not exactly a thought, but more so a feeling or perhaps a compulsion that was attracting him to do a particular action.

The pair then looked to the hallway to see a strange sight as many male students seemed to be circling around something. Upon a closer inspection, it was the boy and girl from earlier that morning who seemed to be in a confrontation with a very well endowed blue haired girl.

Kohta rubbed his temples until shaking his head of the strange feeling. "That was weird".

"What do you mean Kohta-kun?"

"Hmm, I'm not really sure how to say this. But for a moment there I felt compelled to be attracted to that girl" pointing out the blue haired one.

Nyu got into her thinking pose as she thought about this. "I also got that feeling when I connected with you". She then linked with one of the random students. "But it's strange, it only seems to be affecting the male students as they appear to be entranced". Looking back to Kohta, "However it doesn't seem to affect you".

The pair then looked back to the event as the girls were now talking with each other.

"You're being tricked Tsukune! Hurry and get that girl off you. That Kurumu isn't really your friend!"

"Huh?"

At the implication, the girl used a feint as she crumbled into Tsukune's arms. "Oh how awful, how can you say such things? Ahh, I'm getting dizzy again. We've got to go to the infirmary".

"Kurumu-san!" But then the boy fell silent as he looked into her eyes.

"Please believe me, that girl is dangerous Tsukune! You're going to be eaten by her!"

"Oh really? Aren't you the one sucking my blood Moka-san?"

With that accusation the pink haired girl became teary eyed as she ran away pushing pass the group and running right by Kohta and Nyu is the process.

"What was the about?" the tanned youth asked.

"I'm not sure" then said the ditzy girl. "But I don't think he meant what he said. I think he might have been manipulated".

"Manipulated?"

Nyu nodded. "That girl, I think she is a succubus".

"You mean the mythological creature from the medieval era? I thought those monsters can only enter through dreams".

"Not entirely. Their species probably evolved with the ability to push thoughts or charm the opposite gender into doing certain actions. When I was listening in, I felt a pushed thought that just suddenly appeared there". Nyu then gave a concerned look, "but I'm concerned for his well being".

Kohta nodded to this. "I agree. It doesn't seem right to manipulate free will. But what should we do with everyone else here" noting all the boys who were still under the charm spell.

"But the answer probably lies with you".

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

"You were also charmed Kohta-kun, but it didn't seem to affect you".

The tanned youth looked up in thought. "Really? I mean I did suddenly feel like I should be attracted to her. But then the thought suddenly wore off a moment later. You have telepathy don't you? Couldn't you just reverse the effects?"

Nyu shook her head sadly to this. "I don't have the ability to push thoughts". But then her face lit up as she dragged her friend to an empty classroom. Upon entering she pushed him into a seat as she took a seat right next to it.

"Nyu-san?" Kohta then blushed at how close his pink friend got as she pressed her forehead against his. "Wha . . . . What are you doing?"

"This is the best way I can link to someone. However my connection is actually better when transmitted through a kiss".

"Kiss!" at seeing her smiling face, it soon faded to black as everything around him started to change until he was in a "library? Wasn't I just in a classroom?"

"Yes you are".

Kohta turned to see Nyu standing right behind him as she smiled and waved to him. "Nyu-san, what's going on? Where are we?"

"This is the world inside your mind. A place made up of memories, experiences, ideas, and thoughts".

The boy looked around until something else struck him. "What about our bodies then? Isn't it strange for them to be left in that kind of position?"

"No worries, the world inside the mind works a lot faster. So what seems like hours here would be like seconds in the physical world". Nyu then placed her finger to her lips as she looked around. "But it might take longer than I thought".

"What do you mean?"

"If you have the ability to resist a charm then all I have to do is find it, replicate it, and cure the people who are still under the spell. But I've never seen anything like this before".

Kohta looked around. "Well a mind is supposed to be rather complex isn't it?"

"True, but I've never seen one as complex as this" as Nyu was amazed at how expansive a human mind could be. She then picked up a random book as she began to skim through it.

"So this is what the insides of a person's mind looks like?"

"Well it depends from person to person. But generally yes".

"Now that we're here, how do we find what we're looking for?"

Nyu shrugged at this. "It depends on how well organized a person's mind is. Depending on how focused they are will show how organized the library is".

Kohta didn't understand this. But deciding to pick up a random book he opened to a random page and was surprised at what he saw. As he flipped through the pages his blush began to grow redder. He then flipped to the book's cover. "_Perverted thoughts of Nyu_".

"What are you looking at?"

The tanned youth immediately jumped as he hid the book behind him. "Nothing!"

"What is it? Why do you look red? Are you feeling alright?" Nyu then noticed her friend's posture. "What are you hiding behind you?"

At the statement he threw the book as far as he could to some random area of the library. "I think what we're looking for isn't here. So let's go look somewhere else".

The ditzy girl gave him a quizzical look but then agreed a moment later. As they ventured through the library she couldn't understand her friend's strange behavior. "Kohta-kun, why don't we split up? That way we can search faster".

" . . . . Umm, I think it would be best . . . . If we stick together . . . ."

"Why?"

Kohta blushed as he looked away from her scratching his cheek nervously, "just because . . . ."

"Hmm . . . ." but then something caught Nyu's attention as she pointed it out. "Kohta-kun, what's that?"

The boy literally felt his skin jump at the question. "I swear it's not what you think!" But his eyes then than saw what she was looking at. " . . . . What is that?"

At this time both Nyu and Kohta were at some part of the library standing in front of a door leading to somewhere else. However the door was clearly locked in a very unusual way.

The ditzy girl closely examined it to see chains in a cross formation on the door as they were met in the center with a lock system she had never seen before as a very unique set of symbols were fixed on them. Furthermore, it was carefully bolted to the door knob to ensure no entry was possible. Nyu then looked back to her friend. "Kohta-kun, what's behind this door?"

He shrugged, "I never even knew this was here".

"But this seems to be the only place we haven't looked at yet" as she started to reach for the door. But the moment she touched it a surge of energy hit her as she screamed out in pain. With that pulse of raw power, Nyu's bracelet began to glow as her horns appeared.

"Lucy-san?"

The horned girl then struck the door with her vectors which forced the lock to exert even more power to repel her.

"Let go of the door Lucy-san" said Kohta at seeing the pain she was in.

"What do you think I've been trying to do!" as Lucy pushed harder with her vectors to free herself from whatever she was trapped in. Her face then tightened as she attempted to endure the pain. But she could not as the door's defense refused to let her go as she then screamed out in agony.

At seeing the torture his friend was in, Kohta acted immediately to pull her away.

"Stay back Kohta!" but he did not listen as he placed his hand over hers to peel it off the lock. But the moment he did the energy interacted with him as images he didn't recognize flashed through his mind at blinding speed.

"_What is this?_" as he was now surrounded by darkness. But then a second later the darkness faded away as he was then surrounded by trees. "_A forest . . . . Wait, I'm in Yokohama. But why am I here?_" If things weren't strange enough a child version of himself walked right out of him like a ghost as he started to run. "_What's going on here?_" as he followed. But after that short run, he saw as a young pink haired girl was standing in front of a tree with her back faced to them. His child form ran up to her excited. As he faced her a wide smile appeared. "So that's where you were Kaede-chan".

"_Kaede-chan?_" but as he tried to look at the girls face he could not as he then ran out of time as his surrounding turned back to darkness before finding himself laying on the ground in his library.

"Kohta-kun!" called out Nyu worriedly as she tried to shake him awake. But as he slowly opened his eyes, tears began to form in hers as she hugged the tanned youth in relief. "Thank goodness".

"What happened?"

"I don't know. The other me went back to sleep and then I was laying right next to you". Her eyes then lay to a particular object in Kohta's hand. "What that?"

"Hmm?" He then looked to his hand to see a book now there. "What is this?" Flipping to a random page, "I think this is what you were looking for".

Nyu took the book as she smiled in glee. "Yes this is exactly what I've been looking for. Hmm . . . ."

"What is it Nyu-san?"

". . . . How do you know such advanced magical knowledge?"

"Huh? Advanced magical knowledge? I don't know anything like that. I didn't even know this was here".

Concern could clearly be written on her face as she looked to him and then to the door she tried to open.

After a little reading, Nyu found the nullification spell she was looking for. Then linking with each of the charmed boys, she wrote the insignia formulas in each of their minds curing them of the succubus spell.

Then afterwards the pair attempted to find where the succubus went with the boy. However it seemed unnecessary now as he appeared to be saved by a silver haired girl as the succubus now laid defeated on the ground.

* * *

~ Youkai Academy ~ (morning the next day)

"Isn't that an interesting sight" said Kohta at seeing the boy running away comically as the pink and blue haired girl were now chasing him in a playful fashion.

"It's nice to see that they're friends now" smiled Nyu.

The tanned youth gave a laugh to this. "Well if you say so".

The ditzy girl smiled to this, but then a look of worry couldn't help but express itself on her face as she looked to him. "_Kohta-kun . . . . What are you really?_"

To be continued . . . .

* * *

Author's notes: I know diclonius only have the ability to telepathically connect with their own kind. But there is a reason to why Kaede/Lucy/Nyu can connect with others which will be explained much later in the story.

Furthermore, I have a few things planned for Kohta as he's going to find out a lot of interesting things about himself.

As you can see, Kohta and Nyu are taking care of the side stuff the main Rosario+Vampire cast seemed to have forgotten. But in time these two parties will meet as I do have plans for them.

**redrain8696** – I know physical therapy takes about 3 to 6 months and it will take a lot of grueling effort to get yourself back to your old self. So I wish you a speedy recovery and hope things go well for you. So see you next time in the next chapter.

**warrior of the six blades** – Thank you for reading, and I hope to see you again in the next chapter.

**Omfg** – Thanks for reading. By the way, anonymous posting is online for me as I'll be writing an 'M' rated story. So just a heads up as I'm not sure whether I should leave it on or not.

**animagus14** – Thanks for reading. I do enjoy the input given in critiques as they give me something to think about. So I hope to see you in the next chapter.

So I thank you all for reading this fic and I further extend my gratitude if you can review it as well.


	4. Let's Get into Some Club Activities

Rosario to Elf

Disclaimer: I do not own Elfen Lied, Rosario + Vampire, or any characters associated with either of the series.

"talking"

_thoughts_

* * *

Let's Get into Some Club Activities

* * *

"We'll be starting club activities this week as it will be a part of our training in becoming more better associated with the human population".

"But sensei, do we have too?"

"Yep, and this activity is mandatory. So choose wisely of what club you would like to join and please keep in mind that you have until the end of the week to make your decision". Kodo-sensei then wrote some additional information on the board. "And please visit the photography club that I'm advisor for, OK!"

"_What shameful plugging . . . ._" as class was then excused for break.

* * *

~ Yokai Academy ~ (afternoon)

"So what club do you think we should join Kohta-kun?" Nyu asked as she pulled Kohta along by the hand.

The tanned youth rubbed his head nervously as he could literally feel the angry glares off some of the jealous male populace. But although this was fact that wasn't really what was making him feel awkward. "I'm . . . . not really sure . . . ."

"Hmm, what do you mean?"

"Well . . . . I've never really had much interest in extracurricular activities . . . . and . . . . I just never really thought about what club I should join".

Nyu looked to him slightly confused but then immediately turned back to her happy demeanor. "Then allow me to be your guide!"

Kohta blinked at this. " _. . . . I have a feeling this is going to be a long day_" and truthfully that was going to be the case.

* * *

~ Club Recruitment ~ (afternoon)

"Hey Nyu-san wouldn't you like to join our club?"

"OK, what is it?"

"We're the biology club. Wouldn't you like to join us?"

Kohta eyed them curiously as there were a lot of suspicious things sticking out at him. "_That . . . . is simply not natural_". Just looking at their current set-up, he seriously had to question what the biology club did. "_Poisonous snakes, strange insects, unusual looking tools, animal parts . . . . wait! Is that a chainsaw?_"

"What do you say Nyu-san? Wouldn't you like to join our club? We would love to have an interesting specimen like you to join us".

"Sure, I'd lo . . . ." but she could not finish as Kohta soon dragged her off. From the last statement, it was the final red flag.

But trying to be polite as possible, "I think we should keep looking"

Ten minutes later . . . .

"How about this club Kohta-kun?" then asked Nyu pointing to the spirit squad.

"Maybe the next one" at seeing how the pom-poms were alive.

Seven minutes later . . . .

"What about this sports club Kohta-kun?"

" . . . . Is that even a ball?"

Thirteen minutes later . . . .

"How about the chess club?"

". . . . I'm pretty sure dying isn't in our interest".

Two minutes later . . . .

"Can we try this club Kohta-kun?" as Nyu's eyes twinkled at seeing the anime/manga club

"How about we keep looking" at seeing the perverted stares his pink friend was getting from the group.

Half an hour later . . . .

Kohta sat winded on the bench as Nyu was still running around checking out all the booths. He then gave a long sigh. "Who would have thought club hunting could be such a task?" Just looking at most of the clubs they were not designed to be human friendly. But then what was he suppose to expect. This was a demon oriented school. For most of this stuff would be considered normal to them. So it was important that he went along with it or risk being exposed as a human.

"Kohta-kun! I think I found the club that we can both join!"

The tanned youth sighed again. "Sure, let's go take a look". However upon arrival he was pleasantly surprised to see the club his horned friend wanted to join. "This is the club you want us to be a part of?"

"Yeah! What do you think?"

Kohta scanned the surroundings to see nothing out of place. "_Well it looks friendly enough_", "Yeah sure OK Nyu-san. Let's join the gaming club".

"Well welcome to our fine club new applicants. Just get a try out and see if you like it. If you do like what you see, then please feel free to sign up with us".

Kohta, Nyu, and some other applicants soon entered the room to be astounded by what they saw. Unbelievably in the size of a normal classroom, the gaming club had every type of game imaginable ranging from the classics to the modern day electronics.

"Help yourself, play whatever game you like. But please keep in mind of the special event that will happen very soon".

Nyu then took Kohta to a nearby console. "Hey let's play this fighting game. I'm usually very good at it".

"Yeah sure" to which they chose their fighters and began to play. But after twelve straight rounds of getting his ass served he decided to cut his losses. "I think we should play another game" to which they then switched consoles and to another game. "Yeah Tetris, I know I can definitely do better in this one". But to his surprise, he got completely burned at it. "Uhh . . . . sports", but then he shouldn't have been too surprised at the results.

"That was refreshing" as Nyu was literally brimming with a happy aura.

Kohta sighed, "Ehh it could be worse".

The recruiter then stepped forward as the group then began to form around him. "Thank you all for your interest in this club. But as a final event we would like you to join in the final game which would prove to be the most entertaining".

"Cool, awesome".

"Wow, I've got to see this".

"I wonder what the game is".

But as Kohta watched a strange feeling began to grow over him.

"And trust me folks. This is a game you can die for". Then without warning everything went dark.

* * *

~ Unknown place ~ (unknown time)

"Nyu-san . . . ."

"Yes Kohta-kun?" said Nyu slightly weary and a bit afraid.

"You know when I said that it could be worse . . . ."

"Yeah . . . ."

"It just got worse". As Kohta looked around it was obvious they weren't even in school anymore as they seemed to have been locked within a ruined bathroom of sorts. Furthermore his leg was chained to a pole on one side of the room while Nyu was chained on the other side. After taking in all this information, his face couldn't help but sag. "I better not see a T.V. screen light up with a stupid doll on it saying . . . ."

"Hello, I want to play a game".

The tanned youth sighed at this. "They just had to do it didn't they".

"Umm excuse me Mr. doll-san, but we need to get back to class now. Do you think you can let us go?" The ditzy girl asked.

"Nyu-san that thing is only a video. They aren't going to hear us".

She then stuck out her tongue as she knocked herself on the head. "I know, but I wanted to ask anyways".

"The game is simple. Seek the truth within the light that can only be seen in the dark. You have thirty minutes to figure this out. Live or die make your choice" to which the T.V. then shorted out.

"Are we going to be OK Kohta-kun?"

The tanned youth simply smiled. "We'll be fine Nyu-san. All we have to do is figure out these puzzles and we'll be fine".

Nyu then looked slightly afraid. "But I'm really bad at puzzle games".

"Then thank goodness I'm here" as he reassured his pink friend. He then turned off the lights revealing a glowing 'X' leading to the next clue.

"How did you know that would be there?" Nyu asked very impressed.

"It wasn't that hard. The riddle already had an obvious answer as the answer was the question itself. Plus the fact the gaming club is being completely unoriginal by using direct scenes from a very strange American horror film". He then yanked his chain which easily broke with a good pull. "Plus these chains are either cheap plastic or aluminum. They probably didn't have much of a budget for them anyways. So let's get going then shall we?"

". . . .Oh, well OK".

Just like that Kohta easily conquered each room as he wondered closer and closer to the exit. Even though there were a few new rooms and tricks, they were rather easy to solve for the tanned youth. Along the way, Kohta and Nyu rescued some other players as they were having trouble with their death trap puzzles. Eventually they arrived to the supposed last room where they faced the last game.

"If we get out of this alive, remind me to report this club to the principal's office".

"Agreed" nodded Nyu.

A T.V. in the room then came alive as the recruiter of the gaming club appeared. "Interesting, you are definitely the first group who has ever made it this far since every year we've played this game".

An angry expression then appeared on Kohta. "This game is rather sick. What right do you have to play with our lives like this?"

"Yeah, let us out right now!"

"Where's the exit?"

"I'm so going to kill that guy when we get out of here".

"OK OK I get it, if you really want out then here is the last riddle. Solve it then you all of you will be awarded your freedom".

"Just tell us the dam question already!"

"Come on, hurry up!"

Kohta eyed the monitor carefully as he awaited whatever the question maybe.

"Simply . . . . find the exit" and with that the monitor shut off.

"Wait that can't be it! There has to be more!"

"Where is the rest of the question?"

"Let us out!"

With that panic began to spread amongst them like wild fire as everyone began banging against the walls and ceiling attempting to break their way out. Meanwhile Kohta stood as calmly as possible as Nyu stood by his side showing a rather worried expression.

"Kohta-kun, are we going to be OK?"

"Yes Nyu-san, but I need to solve this quickly or else things are soon going to become violent in here". He then scanned the room to the best of his ability. "_But there has to be something here that I'm missing. Something that will tell us the way out_". Simply, there was no way they could have transported so many people to this kind of facility without anyone noticing. Looking at the room as it was, there had to be a trick to it to how any of them even got there. In the corner of his eye something caught his attention. ". . . . What is that?"

* * *

~ Yokai Academy ~

The recruiter along with his group began to laugh as they reviewed some of the clips they recorded from the games they set up.

"I can't believe how stupid that guy was".

"I think we should revise this puzzle, they got out of it way too easily".

"Hey, what do you think we should do next year?"

The recruiter enjoyed his sadistic fun as he had these people running around his game like rats in a maze. "But it was a close one this year. No one has ever even gotten this close in reaching the last room".

"Yeah, but good thing it's rigged so that they wouldn't get out".

"If they did that would ruin all our fun not to mention the trouble we would have to deal with later".

The recruiter smirked at this. "Anyways let's take a look where they are at now".

Some of the group members chuckled at this. "Hell, if we're lucky they might have started killing each other by now". But in using the shikigami that has been monitoring the game, they were surprised by what they saw. "What going on here? Where the hell is everyone?" In a slight panic every member began switching through every shikigami monitor to locate where everyone was. But after searching every single room it was official. "Where are they?"

But if they weren't too busy panicking they would have noticed the faint light that began to materialize behind them.

"Turn yourselves in, and your punishment will be light".

The gaming club then turned to see as all the participants were now standing behind them.

"What? How could you have escaped?"

Nyu then stepped forward. "There was no way you could have transported us all without anyone noticing, and without seeing any form of a door then the only way in and out was through teleportation magic. So the trick was just finding it and using it to send us back".

The group then began to ascend forward with malicious intent.

"You guys are so going to pay for sticking us there".

"Let's get them".

"Got any final requests?"

Although their intentions were clear, the gaming club did not look the least bit scared. The recruiter then stepped forward to face them. "I think you are all under the wrong impression. This is still our game, and none of you are going to be walking out of here in one piece". On that statement, the entire gaming club began to mutate into their respective monster forms as the participants then engaged them. This then left Nyu and Kohta to face off against the recruiter. "You're a very curious pair there is no possible way you people could have returned back to school".

"Come quietly" said Kohta. "You still have time to turn yourselves in".

The recruiter then chuckled. "You honestly think I would willingly give up my fun like that? If so, then you are dreadfully mistaken". He then too began to mutate as black wings began to sprout, his body started to appear heavier, and his nose began to grow longer.

"What is he?"

"He's a Tengu!" exclaimed Nyu. "They're a mystical type monster with a high degree and understanding of magic and spirits. He's not an opponent to take lightly".

"You made a big mistake in challenging me" said the recruiter. "You should have died quietly in the maze. But now you will die excruciatingly against my dark arts".

"Kohta-kun, you have to release me. If I become the other me then I can take him".

Without hesitation, he touched her bracelet which shined its eerily green glow showing that 'she' was now free.

As her horns appeared, Lucy stared her opponent down as her vectors hanged around her in defensive position. "It is you who is mistaken. Let us see if your strength really matches your words".

The Tengu simply smirked at this as his aura began to flare up.

Noting this, Lucy prepared herself as she could sense the strange fluctuation in his energy. "_What is he up too? He's seems too sure of himself to be bluffing about his strength_". But then out of nowhere, she was forced to the ground as she had to hold her side in slight pain. "_What was that? Whatever it was, it hit my vector wall pretty hard. If I didn't block it then whatever it was could've really hurt _me". She then quickly got up as she refocused herself. "I_ was certain he didn't do anything. What is his secret?_"

But without further time to analyze, Lucy was struck again by the unknown force and again and again.

Luckily, her vectors absorbed most of the attacks but not without receiving a little damage each time she was hit.

Lucy cringed as she was both growing agitated and slightly panicked as time went on. "_At this rate, the damage is going to stack on top of each other. I have to end this!_"

The recruiter was enjoying his sadistic game as he struck her time and time again. But finally growing bored he decided to go in for the kill. "You're mine!"

The horned girl prepared herself to receive whatever attack it maybe.

"Duck!" Without even thinking about it, she bent her knees. "To the right!" to which Lucy reacted too. "Roll forward, now!"

Lucy then looked back to Kohta curiously. "_Can he actually see what's attacking me?_"

The recruiter displayed shock at this discovery. "_Impossible! No one should be able to see my evil spirits! Even the strongest of mediums can't even detect them!_"

However contrary to all this, Kohta could see them as clear as day as the specters had Lucy surrounded. "To your six, hit back!"

Doing as she was advised, her vector hit something as it appeared to dissipate the next moment she cut it. "Where is it coming next?"

"To your left, now to your right, go forward". At this time Kohta strained his eyes to keep his focus on the apparitions attacking his pink friend. Although he was curious to how she couldn't see them, that was the least of his concerns as he wanted to do all he could to help Lucy. "Full three-sixty, now!"

The pink diclonius then swung her vector slicing up the spirits that surrounded her. She then stepped forward as her opponent stepped back. "It's about time I finished this".

"Wah . . . . Wait, can we talk about this?"

" . . . . no" and with that Lucy ended the battle with the Tengu as she imprinted his face into the ground. Following after that was clean up as the pair assisted with taking care of the rest of the gaming club. With that came the end of one long day.

* * *

~ Yokai Academy ~ (one week later)

Affairs quickly quieted down after word of what the gaming club has been up too got out. Although it was one of the biggest news spreading around the school, it quickly came to an end just as quickly as it came. But what exactly was he supposed to expect? He didn't understand what was considered normal for monsters. So should he really have expected much out of them like a sympathy or care? But Looking at the smiling face of his pink friend, he'd like to think monsters were not as bad as humans had portrayed them to be.

"A lot of interesting things happened during club recruitment, don't you think Kohta-kun" smiled Nyu.

"I suppose, but I didn't expect so much craziness to ensue in just one short week. I mean some of the clubs were just straight up crazy. Hell, the swimming club tried to eat all their new applicants".

"I guess that's true . . . ." The horned girl then looked away before looking back with curiosity. "Kohta-kun . . . . How did you get us out of that maze? Also the other me . . . . was wondering how you were able to see those evil spirits when she could not".

"What are you talking about?" as Kohta's eyebrow perched at the peculiar question. "The magic seal was clearly written on the wall . . . . hmm, although it was a bit small to see. And I just thought those spirits were just being too fast and too numerous for Lucy-san to do anything about".

Nyu blinked a few times as this. She then gave a strained chuckle before smiling. "Of course, that was the case". Kohta simply smiled at this as he proceeded ahead. But as he walked away, Nyu looked to him even more curious then before about her tanned friend. In the maze, a magic seal of that caliber can only be seen and used by the originator and without the algorithmic access key they should not have been able to activate the circle. Furthermore when Lucy read the Tengu's thoughts during their fight, the specters were not supposed to be detectable even to the strongest of spiritual mediums let alone a normal human boy. So that then left one thought in the horned girls mind, "_Kohta-kun . . . . are you really human?_" But seeing what kind of situation he was in, what reason did he have to lie about it?

"Nyu-san, are you coming?"

The ditzy girl shook her head slightly as she soon ran up to him. "Yes, I'm coming". At the moment it didn't really matter what Kohta was to her as her friendship with him meant more than such trivial things. However by some level of intuition some part of her knew that if she ever discovered the truth about Kohta, that was when things were going to change.

Soon after, the pair both arrived back to class where they met up with their homeroom teacher to report their progress.

"We're sorry sensei, we were not able to join any clubs" explained Kohta.

"Plus all of them were filled up. I hope this doesn't mean we failed this part of the curriculum" then said Nyu as she twiddled her fingers.

The fox like teacher simply smiled at this. "It's OK it happens. But if that is the case, then I have the perfect club for you".

"Club?" they both asked in unison.

"Yep, so welcome to the photography club as you will be the only applicants this year!"

The pair chuckled at this. "Well I guess it doesn't seem so bad".

"But sensei, what will we do exactly in this club?" asked Nyu.

"Simply just go out into the world and take pictures of all the beauty you see around you. Plus since I owe a favor to Nekonome-sensei from class A, we'll also assist the newspaper club in any photography work they need for their paper. So please work hard as I suspect this is going to be a busy year for everyone".

To be continued . . . .

* * *

Author's notes: This makes another chapter. I apologize for the lateness I have been quite busy as of recently. But I'll try to have the chapters out in a timely manner.

**TheWatcher2785** – You'll see for I do have something interesting in store for Kohta. So thank you for reading and please stay tuned.

**Balthier** – Thank you for reading and please stay tuned.

**redrain8696** – I hope your better now and how is London btw? Anyways thank you for reading and please stay tuned for the next chapter.

**SilentContemplation** – Thank you for your critique. I'll definitely work harder in trying to polish up my timing and attention to detail. So thank you for reading and please stay tuned.

So I thank you all for reading this fic and I further extend my gratitude if you can review it as well.


	5. Let's see the scenery, OK

Rosario to Elf

Disclaimer: I do not own Elfen Lied, Rosario + Vampire, or any characters associated with either of the series.

"talking"

_thoughts_

* * *

Let's see the scenery, OK

* * *

"So what do we do sensei?" asked Kohta

The fox like teacher simply smiled as she escorted her two students. "Well, we're going to start your first project today".

"How are we going to do that?" then asked Nyu. "We don't own any cameras".

"That's OK. Our school comes stocked with a few you can use". They then arrived to a particular room, and as they entered many assortments of electrical equipment were present. Kodo-sensei then retrieved two cameras from the shelves handing then to her student. "These will be your till the end of the year, so take good care of them OK". She then turned back as she placed her finger to her cheek.

"Is there something wrong sensei?"

The fox teacher gave her head a slight shake. "It might be my imagination, but I think one of cameras might be missing". She then shook her head again. "Yeah, it probably was just my imagination". Kodo then turned back with a smile. "Well then go off and have a good time with your first project OK".

* * *

~ Youkai Academy ~ (mid-afternoon)

"So where do you want to go first Nyu-san?"

The horned girl looked up in contemplation. "I'm not sure, what are we exactly supposed to do in this project?"

"Just take pictures I suppose". Kohta then looked around for a bit before looking to his pink friend. But then looking at a particular site an idea jumped to him. "Nyu-san, why don't you sit under that tree and let me take a picture of you?"

Nyu at first looked to him curiously, but then turned to a smile. "OK". She then took a seat on the bench under the tree as she waved to Kohta. "Like this Kohta-kun?"

"Yeah" so after getting into focus he took a snap.

The horned girl smiled as she returned to her friend. "That was nice".

Kohta then looked to his friend curiously. "Nyu-san . . . . is there something wrong?" as he could now literally see her eyes brimming with excitement.

"I know what we can do for our first project. Why don't you be the photographer and I'll be your model OK?"

The tanned youth gave a strained chuckle. "Are you sure about this? You don't have to do this you know".

"But I want too!" as her eyes were brimming even more brightly now.

Kohta watched her for a few seconds until his expression brightened. "OK, lead the way then".

Nyu nodded as she made her way to the tree again as she then stood leaning against the tree. "Take this picture now". Afterwards she then climbed the tree as she then sat on the main branch. "Take this one now".

The tanned youth then approached the tree as he focused the lens up. But upon that action he was forced to look away.

"Is there something wrong?"

"No . . . . It . . . . was a bad shoot" said Kohta as his face began turning a bit red. "Why don't we go take another picture somewhere else?"

"OK" she then chirped. Nyu then pushed herself off the branch landing to the ground below.

"Oh no . . . ." to which his horned friend landed right on top of him. The huge thump forced the trees flower petals to rain down on them. Kohta then looked up to remove a petal from his forehead as he then refocused his eyes to the ditzy girl on top of him. The tanned youth gave a sheepish smile as he removed a lock of pink hair covering his friends face folding it behind her ear. "You really need to stop falling for me like this".

Nyu giggled as she smiled to him. "Let's keep going OK".

They then both got up to see something out of the ordinary. "Hey Nyu-san, isn't that the girls dressing room?"

She nodded to this.

At this time the pair could clearly see two guys peaking through the window. Although it was clear one of them was refusing to look.

"Umm . . . . shouldn't we go tell someone?"

But before they could react they then saw a mob of angry girls swarm out chasing one of the boys as the other one had clearly escaped long before.

". . . . I don't think we have to anymore".

The pair soon shrugged this off as they continued their work. But as time passed it felt more pleasant as the time seemed to have gotten away from them.

During this project, Nyu would guide them all over the school as she posed for her friend in every place she knew and liked.

"Nee nee" said Nyu as she stopped a familiar blue haired girl who crossed her path. "Can you take a picture my friend and I please?"

"Sure" the other girl replied.

"Umm, Nyu-san is this really necessary?"

"Why not?" Nyu smiled. "It would be a good memory to have with each other as the new applicants to the photography club. Plus it'll be the first photo we have with each other".

The blue haired girl then waved to them. "OK ready! Say cheese!"

At the last moment, the ditzy girl glomped his side just as the picture was being taken catching Nyu smiling brightly as Kohta has a look of surprise as they both tilted to his side.

"It must be nice to be that close" smiled the blue haired girl. "Are you two in a relationship?"

The pair turned red at the notion as Nyu shied away a bit while Kohta shook his head while waving his hands. "Ahh no . . . . we're just friends".

Nyu shyly nodded at this.

The blue haired girl giggled at this. "You shouldn't be so bashful. It's so nice to be in love especially when you know you found the right one". She then hugged herself as she wriggled back and forth. "Oh how it must feel just to hold the one you like . . . . ."

"Is she OK?" Nyu whispered. "I don't think she's paying attention to us anymore".

"Let's just get the camera back and go".

"Oh sorry for keeping you like this, there somewhere I need to be right now and it's very important that I get there" to which she soon left leaving the pair dumbfounded at her peculiar behavior.

". . . . Well let's keep going then shall we?"

* * *

~ Youkai Academy ~ (early evening)

After going on a picture spree it soon became night as the pair had exerted themselves greatly getting their task done. The pair soon found themselves sitting on one of the roof tops as they stared into the twilight.

"You know it strange, but I always feel the most energetic during the night".

"What do you mean Kohta-kun?"

"I'm not really sure how to explain this" as he looked to the moon. "But during the nights when the moon is present I usually feel pretty energetic. It's usually best during the full moon".

"I'm glad to hear it because I had a lot of fun today" smiled Nyu. "I hope we can keep doing this everyday".

"I guess we could" replied Kohta. For after a little reading he was learning quite a bit about Youkai Academy. For one thing it was surrounded by an enormous barrier which served several purposes. One thing was to keep it invisible from the outside world. Another was to make certain that no one could accidentally wonder into the territory. But in this particular case, it constantly maintained the temperature over the seasonal changes. At this moment, it was fall in the human world. But here at the academy it felt like spring which also was easily reflected in most of the nature around them. Although the barrier did alter humidity and light availability for seasonal shifts in order to maintain the balance of the wildlife. It was created a synthetic environment that allowed students an easier work life with little discomfort for everyone. So doing a daily picture spree was not too unreasonable so long as they enjoyed what they do.

The ditzy girl then scooted closer to her friend as she leaned on him which caused Kohta to blush and squirm a bit. "You know, it's kind of strange when I think about it".

"What do you mean?" as the tanned youth fidgeted a bit.

"I get this strange feeling like we've done this before?"

"That's rather silly as I'm pretty sure this is the first time we've been here like this".

Nyu shook her head. "No, I just feel like . . . . I've been like this with you before . . . . a very long time ago". She then looked up with a smile. "It's kind of strange right?"

"Yeah" as he then leaned back to give himself better support. However his hand slipped from beneath him as he began to waver back and forth trying to stabilize himself.

"Oh, be careful Kohta-kun!"

In a short struggle Kohta finally managed to stabilize himself only to find that he was holding himself up over his pink friend who was now laying on the roof looking up to him curiously.

The tanned youth blushed as he looked down to her. Although he'd never openly say anything about it, Nyu was indeed a very beautiful girl. She was by his perception perfect in every way he saw her. Big bright crimson eyes, elegant pink hair, pale smooth skin, and tender lips asking to be kissed, and without really thinking about it he began lowering himself closing the distance between them. However . . . .

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Kohta immediately snapped back into attention to see his pink friend's horns were now present "_Lucy-san_". He then looked to her wrist to see that his hand was indeed touching her bracelet. "_I think I'm in trouble . . . ._"

He was soon thrown off as daggers were being glared into him by Nyu's other half. "I believe I told you a while back that you may not touch this body without my permission".

The tanned youth waved at this nervously. "I swear this was an accident! I didn't mean to do it!"

Lucy glared at him for a few moments before taking her seat again on the roof's edge. "I forgive you this time, but do remember I don't give out second chances".

Kohta gave a choked laugh at this as he steadily approached her taking his seat again not wanting to show any form of disrespect. "Sorry Lucy-san . . . ."

"Forget it; just make sure it doesn't happen again". Lucy continued to look out towards the night sky before speaking again. "Although . . . . you do have my gratitude".

"Hmm?"

"My stupid other seems to be smiling a lot more which lessens my headache every time I'm awake. She doesn't seem to have really any problems with you so you're fine with me for now". The horned girl then turned towards him with murderous intent. "However if you ever do something to her or this body I promise that you'll not live long enough to regret it".

"R . . . . Right . . . ." To say the least Kohta was easily intimidated by this girl. Simply he knew she could easily turn him into mince meat. But she was still a apart of Nyu. So he figured he would at least try to make her feel more comfortable around him. "Umm Lucy-san, since me and Nyu-san had a project to do I was wondering if perhaps you'd like . . . ." gulp, "to participate?"

Lucy didn't even bat an eye to this as she soon got up and began to walk away. "Don't bother including me in your repulsive activities. It's already troublesome enough having to do any of this garbage".

Kohta looked down disheartened at the statement.

"However . . . ." as Lucy turned back maintain her blank stare. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to do these things once in a while".

Kohta smiled to this as he got up to take a picture. But without warning the horned girl pulled him to her side as she leaned her back to him while her vector held the camera in front of them taking the picture. Afterwards the camera flew to her hand to which she tossed to him. "Don't get the wrong the idea. My other would at least want me to try and get along with you". She then began walking away. "Good night".

Kohta blinked a couple a times at this. Simply he couldn't read Lucy as well as he did Nyu. The horned girl gave off this impression that she hated him, but not quite exactly at the same time. However it was a puzzle he was too tired at the moment to try and solve. Frankly he must have been really tired if he was hearing some strange things at that time of the hour.

* * *

~ Boys Dormitory ~ (night)

So after finishing up his task with dinner followed by a bath he soon settled in for the night.

"Today was pretty nice" as he then drifted off to sleep.

Once in a while, peculiar dreams would surface in his subconscious mind as images of things he didn't recognize would surface. However the one thing that was always kept the same in these dreams was the presence of a dark haired boy and a pink haired girl.

In the dream he was having now that he would not remember the next day was that of the same boy and girl, they sat next to each other on a large rock at the beach watching the twilight as the moon appeared before them.

To be continued . . . .

* * *

Author's notes: I plan to add more action. So I really hope I'm not boring anyone.

**TheWatcher2785** - Don't worry, I'll get there when I get there. So thank you for your patronage and I hope you continue reading.

**Balthier** - OK, and thank you for reading.

**Vann** - I'll try and thank you for reading.

**redrain8696** - Thank you and it's good to hear that your back is getting better now. Also gratitude to your sister and cousin for their encouragement.

Anyways, I thank you all for reading this fic and I further extend my gratitude if you can review it as well.


	6. We Really Need to Study

Rosario to Elf

Disclaimer: I do not own Elfen Lied, Rosario + Vampire, or any characters associated with either of the series.

"talking"

_thoughts_

* * *

We Really Need to Study

* * *

~ Boys Dormitory ~ (early evening)

Kohta was blushing like crazy as he cleaned and re-cleaned and cleaned his room some more to make sure his sleeping area was literally the definition of perfection. "Oh, why did it have to come to this?"

He then immediately ran to his kitchen facility to make certain his snacks were in good order as well as making certain his tea variety was well stocked.

But now that he thought about it, he wasn't certain why he was doing all of this concerning the reason why he was freaking out. He then heard a knock which caused him to jump as he immediately ran to the door to answer it. Upon opening it, there stood his pink haired friend dressed in what appeared to be her normal attire accompanied by a large bag.

"Thank you Kohta-kun for letting me come over to study" smiled Nyu.

"Yeah sure" Kohta then responded. Normally it wouldn't really matter to him if it was just a study meet as he had done it plenty of times. However concerning the circumstances behind this meet, "_this is going to be troublesome_".

* * *

~ Flashback ~

"Please sleep with me!" exclaimed Nyu.

"Huh?" blushed Kohta as he stepped back in shock to the statement. "What brought this on all of the sudden?"

"I need to sleep with you so that I can have more time to study for the next big exam!"

"How are those even related?"

Nyu simply smiled at this. "Well Kohta-kun, you seem to be doing really well in the subjects I'm having trouble with. So I figured I can come over tonight and sync my mind to yours as we study in our sleep".

" . . . . Huh?"

"I want to use your library".

Kohta sighed at this. "You choose now to procrastinate? Then please explain to me why I should allow you to do this?"

"That's because you're a great friend who won't let me fail my class".

" . . . . No"

"Ehh? Why not?"

"Simply for so many reasons, but let's try for one how you're going to get into the boys dormitory. If I last checked both dorms are monitored throughout the night to prevent exit or entry".

Nyu just maintained her sunny disposition. "Don't worry, I have it covered".

~ End Flashback ~

* * *

"_Unbelievable_" thought Kohta. "_She actually managed to sneak over here_".

"So are you ready?" smiled Nyu. She then proceeded inside as she looked around. "So this is what a boy's room looks like".

"_This is just so weird . . . . we're alone and there is a girl in my room . . . ._ ", "so how do you plan to make this work?" as he scratched the back of his head nervously trying to avoid any kind of indecent thought from forming. "I can't actually sleep with you here with me . . . ."

"Hmm? Why not?"

Kohta scoffed at this, "_. . . . Does she really not know?_" He then rubbed his head as he looked away. "Well . . . . I'm not really . . . . accustomed for these kinds of things . . . ."

"Me neither . . . ."

He then looked to see Nyu acting unnaturally shy now, but soon dissipated back to her bright demeanor.

"Then let's have a lot of fun so when can get to sleep more easily!"

"Huh?"

Nyu then put down her bag as she brought out a large assortment of games, drinks, and snacks. "I hope you like poker".

* * *

~ Boys Dormitory ~ (late evening)

Even though his pink friend was successful in wearing him down, it still didn't change the fact that sleeping with a girl in his bed made him terribly nervous which in turn made it very difficult to fall asleep. "_. . . . Couldn't there have been another way . . . .?_" He soon crawled into bed as his pink friend crawled in right beside him.

"You don't have to worry so much Kohta-kun" smiled Nyu. "I don't bite".

"That doesn't exactly make me feel any better about this" but then he felt a hand caress his cheek as his eyes then came to full focus with the crimson pair in front of him.

"Don't worry, it'll be alright".

Strangely a soothing effect began to overpower him as he soon drifted off to sleep. But just before completely going out, "_this feels . . . . very . . . . familiar . . . ._"

* * *

~ Inner World ~

"Wow! It's just as big as I remember it" as Nyu spun around raising her arms in excitement as she looked at the massive architecture that surrounded them.

Kohta then looked up to be surprised by what he saw. "I'm surprised there was this much in my head". The first time he came there he didn't really have much time to look around as he was too preoccupied with keeping an eye on Nyu from seeing something . . . . she wasn't supposed too. But now that he looked, he was in a way kind of proud his mind was this complex. But then again what did he have to compare it against? "So what subjects do you want to study?"

Nyu placed her finger to her lip in thought. "How about . . . . math and English?"

"Yeah OK" as he then looked around for the proper aisle as he then retrieved the correct books. Kohta then returned to main room where Nyu was waiting. He looked around curiously, "so where are we supposed to sit and study?" Almost instantly a very nice antique looking table and two chairs materialized. "Whoa! Where did these come from?"

"This is your mind remember" smiled Nyu. "Anything here you can create by your choosing as this is your dream".

"That's pretty cool". He then examined the table's structure and aesthetics. "_This is pretty impressive and it feels so real_". Kohta then stared at it a bit longer. "_Wow . . . . I wonder where I came up with the idea for this . . . ._"

"Oh and I also want to go through a few other notes so would it be OK that I go look for them?"

Kohta stared at her for moment as he thought deeply about it. "Just . . . . make sure to remember what you're looking for OK".

"OK" Nyu chimed.

"And . . . . If you see something extremely provocative I'm very sorry" as Kohta blurted the last part.

"What?"

"Nothing" as he turned anyway scratching his cheek with a slight blush.

The ditzy girl soon departed as she wandered through the aisles picking out the books she was interested in reading. By the time she exited her third aisle, Nyu had gathered an impressive stack of books which nearly covered her sight. "I hope Kohta-kun doesn't mind helping me with these".

"Heh heh heh heh".

Nyu immediately turned her head to see something small and fast run right by her as it disappeared into another aisle. "What was that? There should be no one here but me and Kohta-kun". She then set her books down as she decided to chase whatever it was. Her eyebrows then perched as she ran aisle from aisle looking for the mysterious entity. "Maybe it was my imagination" as she couldn't sense anyone else there but herself and Kohta. But then it happened again when the specter ran from another aisle. "Wait! What are you?"

She then began her chase after the specter, but as she looked at the walls and a few books "this place . . . . seems very . . . . familiar". After a few more minutes of running, " . . . . why is that opened?" There before her now, the mysterious door that was once locked had now opened. Although she knew better not to wander around her friends mind without permission something compelled her to enter. As she slowly opened the door, something strong reached out and pulled her in.

* * *

~ Inner World ~ (twenty minutes later)

"Where is Nyu-san? It's been like forever!" said Kohta. His mind started to wander as anxiety began to build up in paranoia. "Oh god, I hope she didn't accidentally find that book" as he then blushed recalling 'The Perverted Thoughts of Nyu' book. " . . . . I seriously need to find her now" as there was no telling what else was lurking in his minds library.

He then got up to look around. "Nyu-san? Nyu-san? Where are you?" as he started to wander his mind. "If this was my mind, isn't this supposed to be easy?" Almost instantly, runes on the floor began to light up as it soon faded leaving a bright blue illuminating trail leading to another part of his library. " . . . . OK".

Kohta quickly followed the guide as he started to get worried from being a part from Nyu for so long. "What could have happened to her?" He soon stopped with the trail right in front of the place he least expected her to be. ". . . . Why is that door open? Wait! Did Nyu-san go in here?" He then mentally commanded it to find Nyu once more only for no path to appear as it almost seemed like something in the next room was restricting his influence in his mental world. "I guess I have no choice. There's no other place she could be". Steeling himself for whatever may be beyond the door, he entered.

* * *

~ Unknown Place ~

Kohta didn't understand, but it definitely wasn't anything like his library. This place had an unusual feeling about it as he felt nauseous for every second he stood there. Strangely, he couldn't quite comprehend the place as he knew he was somewhere but at the same time nowhere as he couldn't focus at what he was looking at nor actually recall anything from seconds before. "What is up with this crazy place? It feels like I'm in a dark fog and I just barely came through the entrance". But then the pit of his stomach felt like dropping at the thought of his friend. "If Nyu-san came through here she might be in some real trouble!" Regardless of his own safety he charged forward calling out his ditzy friend's name. "Nyu-san! Where are you? Nyu-san!"

But no matter how far he ran or how fast he went it was like he was going nowhere. It was like he was running on a treadmill in the dark as he felt like he was blind, deaf, and unable to feel the world around him. Furthermore as he called for Nyu it began becoming more difficult as if someone had placed a pillow over his face making it difficult to breath.

After running for so long, Kohta had no choice but to stop as he soon fell on all fours to catch his breath. "Dam it! Where are you Nyu-san?" as he started to squeeze his fists in frustration. "What the hell is this place?" he screamed out.

"Somewhere you're not supposed to be yet".

Kohta's eyes snapped open as he looked up to see a sight that was now beyond fathom and entered into downright bizarre. There in front of him was a child who looked exactly like him when he was eight but uncharacteristically giving off a presence that felt much older and stronger than he appeared. "What . . . . are you?"

The boy simply smiled as he waved his finger at him. "Sorry, but that's a spoiler I can't tell you yet".

"What?"

"But the important thing now is that we must help Kaede-chan before it's too late".

"What? Kaede-chan? I'm here to recue Nyu-san".

The boy gave him a quizzical look before switching back to his smile. "Oh, I see now. We'll I'll help you find her then". He then snapped his fingers which instantly revealed a clear path for them to take.

"How . . . . How did you do that?" as Kohta now stood up feeling his senses were clearing as he looked at the new pathway.

"Spoilers I'm afraid" smiled the boy.

The pair soon departed as they began traveling down the path with the boy taking point. However Kohta couldn't help but feel cautious of the boy as he had so many questions to ask such as why did he look like him? How did he clear the path? Where was he from? As he thought about it some more, who was this Kaede-chan whose name he has heard before?

"All your questions will be answered in due time. But now you are still too young to learn all this".

"_Huh?_" as Kohta fidgeted at the response. "_Did he read my mind?_"

"Sort of" responded the boy. "But it's not that hard to know what you're thinking given your situation".

"But then . . . ."

The child turned back giving him a reassuring expression. "Just don't worry; the answers will come when you're ready".

Kohta felt smaller as the child is his own way was degrading him. However, the boy didn't feel young as his presence felt as big as some of the monsters he was around. So at this train of thought, "_it would be probably wise not to antagonize him_".

The boy simply smirked at this. After some more walking they soon arrived at their destination. "And here she is".

The tanned youth looked to the door as he immediately understood the design of it. "Is this a dungeon?"

"I'm afraid so" the boy frowned. "Nyu-chan wondered in here without permission as she was following an occupant of this room. Unfortunately she was captured by the guards of this world. So you're lucky I found you first before they did".

Kohta stared at the door for a moment. "So Nyu-san is this way huh?"

"Yeah, but unfortunately this is as far I'm allowed to go. The rest you must do on your own".

"What?" as he looked to him. "If I'm guessing right this place should be full of guards that's protecting this place. So how exactly am I supposed to save Nyu-san?"

The boy looked back at him confused. "You like Nyu-san don't you? So it shouldn't really matter what your circumstance is".

" . . . . Yeah" as he scratched his cheek while averting his eyes. "That's true", "_although you didn't have to put it so bluntly . . . ._"

His child looking self then gave a slight smirk. "Well I guess I can help you out a bit for this one time. So if you could raise your sleeves please" to which with a wave of his finger Kohta's forearms started to glow which caused the tanned youth to flinch a bit in surprise.

"What the . . . ." said Kohta as the light began to settle. "Are these . . . . circuit board conduits?" as many lines, circles, and squares of light were now apparent.

"You can use magic" the boy chimed.

"Huh? How can that be? I'm only a human".

"Spoilers" he repeated. "Now normally to use magic one would require a medium to channel it. But you're a bit more special then that so you don't need one. But I digress. Since I don't have time to give you the magic 101, I gave you a quick shortcut to two simple spells. When you need them just think shield and attack OK".

"Wait! I need better instructions then that!"

"Sorry, but Nyu-chan needs you now so go!" as the door popped open as he pushed Kohta inside.

The tanned youth stumbled inside to which he soon corrected his balance. He then looked up, "this place really is built like a dungeon" as by appearance it was a strange mixture of centuries old European and Asian architecture. If his assumption was right it wouldn't be wise to call for his friend or otherwise alert all hostiles to his position. So quietly making his way down the hall he checked every door for Nyu only to find a bunch of empty cells. But then he couldn't help but think, "_why are there so many cells here?_"

Minutes began to pass by as he quickly made his way through the hall until he arrived at what appeared to be the last room in the area. He then peeked into the opening to see his friend. "_Nyu-san!_" The ditzy girl appeared to have been chained to the far wall at the end of a very large room filled with many lanterns lighting the area. Not giving much thought to his next move Kohta busted through the door to make his way to his friend. Throwing caution to the wind "Nyu-san! Are you alright?" However the girl was apparently unconscious. "Nyu-san!" as he patted her cheek to awaken her.

". . . . Kohta".

"Nyu-san! Oh thank god you're alright! I'm going to get you out of here!"

". . . . You actually came back for me" she then weakly smiled.

"Of course I would Nyu-san".

". . . . Nyu-san?"

Kohta began tugging on the binds that held her although he should have known better.

"You can't break the chains Kohta. They're spell bounded making them unbreakable to all blunt force" as the ditzy girl looked up indicating the runes that lit up each time he pulled. "It's OK, save yourself while there is still time".

"What are you talking about? I came here to get you. What else am I supposed to do?" But then a low rumbling was felt. "What was that?"

". . . . It's too late".

Five circular seals then formed one on the floor, both side walls, ceiling, and front entrance as they then combined one massive seal in the center of the room. Then momentarily a giant monstrous metal colossus walked out as it now threateningly approached them.

"What in the hell is that?" as Kohta now felt the pit of his stomach drop at seeing the sheer size of the monstrosity. "That thing has got to be about seven stories tall!"

"You should have left when I told you so. That thing is the guardian of this domain, and I'm certain it will attack you as well".

"How do you know so much about this?" Kohta then shook his head at this. "Never mind! We can talk about this as soon as we can get out of here!"

"Just leave Kohta! Don't worry yourself about me!"

"You can yell at me after I save you OK!" as he then raced out towards the colossus to divert its attention. "_God this has to be one of the dumbest things I've ever done_". As smart as he was, he literally had no plan in how to deal with this. The thing was made of metal and was as big as a government building, so what can someone like him possibly do? But for Nyu, he had to at least try something. "But I should be fine as his huge size should make it easier for me to evade it".

The colossus spotted the tanned youth as he launched his fist right at him.

Spotting this, Kohta picked up the pace as he narrowly dodged the massive attack. "That should give me some more time". As he saw it if he could get the giant to face a different direction, he could use the time lapse to try and rescue Nyu again and make their escape. Simply by looking he had no room for errors as one hit from that monster would mean instant death for him.

For the most part Kohta's analysis was pretty good, but ultimately flawed as the colossus turned around with surprising speed facing him again launching his next attack.

"Oh crap!" as he was forced to dive roll forward to escape the punch. Kohta then quickly got up to run again only to stumble slightly as he attempted to re-correct his balance.

"Kohta!" screamed Nyu.

The tanned youth looked up as the colossuses fist was now literally over him. "_I won't make it in time_" as escape was no longer possible. So shielding himself in way any creature would by folding his arms in, he closed his eyes in anticipation for the incredible pain he would be in. Just as the shadow of his fist covered him, a huge tremor was felt as Kohta could see faint light through his closed eye lids. "What . . . . ?" Slowly as he reopened them the conduit lines the mysterious boy gave him reappeared as a strange circular energy shield stopped the monsters attack a foot away from him.

In response the colossus launched his attack again causing Kohta to shut his eyes again on impulse. But once again the giants attack was stopped the moment it hit the shield.

"My god, I'm alive" Kohta breathed out. "I better give my thanks to that kid later for these".

Nyu looked in surprise to the impressive shield spell. "_That's high grade magic. Kohta . . . . Did you find yourself again?_"

Kohta was quickly dialing back to anything he could remember to what the child told him. "OK, the shield will activate based on my preservation instincts, and to attack . . . ." as he raised his other hand to which an energy circle appeared but smaller with a different rune configuration to his shield shot out an invisible force which seemed to have pushed the giant back. "Wow . . . ." He then mentally commanded to attack four more times pushing the colossus back several feet. Then turning around, he aimed as his friends chains blasting it into pieces.

The ditzy girl rubbed her free wrists as she ran over to Kohta. "We have to get out of here while there's still time because the spells you're using is depleting your stamina too quickly".

"What are you talking abo . . . ." but that's when he felt it as his legs almost gave out under him. ". . . . What's happening?" Kohta then realized it. "_I must have been too distracted to notice my condition . . . ._"

"I'll clear a path".

The tanned youth was surprised to see several of his friends vectors appear as they pushed off the ground launching her up into the air like a rocket. "_Wait! Only Lucy-san can do that! But isn't Nyu-san the one that's awake?_" Nyu wrapped several vectors around her right arm as she then punched the colossus in the face sending it crashing into the front wall.

The ditzy girl then landed as she grabbed Kohta's hand pulling him along. "It's time to go now!"

Kohta could only nod as he followed her. He knew Lucy was strong however, "_when did she get this strong?_"

The pair quickly ran as they eventually exited the dungeon.

"Thank goodness that you two made it. You two need to leave now before the guardian recovers and begins chasing you. I'll guide the way". The boy then lit the path as he ran first guiding the two of them back to the door from once they came.

"Hey! Thanks for everything" said Kohta. "You really saved my life back there with your abilities" indicating the still glowing lines on his forearms.

"Don't mention it" he smiled. They soon arrived at the door the pair came from. "We should be fine now".

"Hey thanks again" smiled Kohta. "You really saved us back there". He then looked to the exit before looking back with curiosity etched on his face. "By the way . . . . Before we go, do you mind telling us what this place is? And just as importantly, who are you?"

"As I said" the boy simply smirked. "Spoilers".

"Thank you" smiled Nyu. "For always being there for me" which caused Kohta to look confused at this exchange.

"Anytime" the boy warmly smiled. "So anyways it's about time you both left. Oh and Kohta . . . ."

"Yeah?"

"When you're ready to visit me again knock on this door because I have a story I want to tell you".

"What?"

"Well bye" as he then pushed the pair out closing the door behind them as the lock reestablished itself sealing the entrance once again. Kohta immediately attempted to knock the door but received no response. After several attempts he stopped as it appeared he would receive no further answers that day.

"Dam. . . ."

"Kohta . . . ."

"Yeah Nyu-san?"

The ditzy girl then looked sadder. "I see, you really don't remember do you? It's just as you said".

"Remember what?" Kohta then blinked a few times as he just now recalled there was so much he wanted to ask concerning so many questionable things he was witness too. "Wait a minute! Only Lucy-san can use vectors, so are you Lucy-san or Nyu-san? And what was all that back there? Do you know what that room was? And who was that kid? What in the world is going on?"

Tears began to fall as Nyu sniffled as she bit her lip as if trying to restrain herself.

"Nyu-san?" the tanned youth then looked at her carefully as he now was beginning to see several differences about his pink haired friend. For one thing, her horns were apparent but her facial expression was vastly different to Lucy's as this one seemed calmer and brighter but less so then Nyu. In addition, her tone was different as well as the way she spoke. In a way, the 'Nyu' in front of him could practically be another person by the way she carried herself. "What is this supposed to mean?"

"Kohta . . . . Please . . . ." the horned girl sniffled. "Know that I'm sorry for what happened, and If I am to forget again . . . . Please remember that my name is . . . ." But then she fell silent as her horns disappeared as she began to fall forward.

"Nyu-san!" as Kohta caught her before she fell.

Momentarily the ditzy girl straightened up as she looked up to Kohta with a smile. "I found a few books I also liked to read. Will you help me with them?" She blinked a bit. "Ara? Why are my cheeks wet?" as she then rubbed her face dry.

Kohta was now speechless at whatever had occurred before him. "_She's back to being Nyu-san again . . . . What was she about to say . . . .?_" Although he was riled up from whatever was about to happen he composed himself as he didn't want to scare his friend if she really didn't know what had occurred. "Nyu-san . . . . What was the last thing you remember?"

"What are you talking about?" as Nyu gave him a confused look. "Wasn't I just getting books?" She then looked around. "What are we doing here at this part of the library?"

The tanned youth sighed as he then gave Nyu as solemn expression. "_I guess my answers will have to wait another time_". He then looked to the door. "_I'll definitely visit again . . . . when I am ready_"; "Anyways, let's finish today's session early as I'm very tired".

Nyu nodded as she yawned. "OK".

* * *

~ Youkai Academy ~ (the next day)

The pair looked at the score board to see they both scored decently above average.

Nyu jumped happily onto Kohta. "We did great Kohta-kun and it's all thanks to you".

He shook his head. "No, you helped me out also so thank you".

The ditzy girl giggled as they then left the crowd to continue on for the rest of the day.

Concerning yesterday, Kohta's mind couldn't help but wonder over how chaotic things have become easily in one day. As he looked to his forearms to see a faint glow of the lines, he became deeply confused to what he was now. As he thought more about it he couldn't help but think, "_what in the hell am I?_"

To be continued . . . .

* * *

Author's notes: The mystery deepens to who Kohta is and his connection to the enigmatic Nyu. Now I know everyone is guessing to what happened if you already read/watched Elfen Lied. But I can assure you that not everything is always as it appears.

**Balthier** – Sorry about that, but thank you for reading as well as your kind patronage in dropping in a critique.

**TheWatcher2785** – Then I hope you enjoyed this chapter. So thank you for reading as well as your kind patronage in dropping in a critique.

**Draco Oblivion** – They won't remain in their shadow forever. The two groups will meet officially very soon in a very extreme way, but for now they are playing catch up. So thank you for reading as well as your kind patronage in dropping in a critique.

**Vaan** – Of course and thank you for reading as well as your kind patronage in dropping in a critique.

**NANLIT** – All very good questions that will be answered in future chapters concerning Kohta so please stay tuned. But the pair will eventually meet the main cast of R+V however in a later time of the story. So thank you for reading as well as your kind patronage in dropping in a critique.

**Fort the Deviant** – Thank you, and thank you for reading and dropping in a critique.

So I would like to thank you all for reading this fic and I further extend my gratitude if you can review it as well.


	7. Something Doesn't Seem Right

Rosario to Elf

Disclaimer: I do not own Elfen Lied, Rosario + Vampire, or any characters associated with either of the series.

"talking"

_thoughts_

* * *

Something Doesn't Seem Right

* * *

~ Classroom ~ (afternoon)

"So what are we doing on today's agenda?" asked Kohta as he and Nyu were talking to their teacher.

Kodo-sensei went to her bag as she retrieved a few pieces of paper before handing them back to her two club members. "The newspaper club is currently on a very strict deadline and they kind of need our help with a few things".

"Like what sensei?" asked Nyu.

"Well they need a few pictures for some of the articles in their paper as well as a few others photos to be developed. So time is of the essence for them as they really need to get these things completed as soon as possible".

Kohta and Nyu looked at each other is slight confusion before looking back to their teacher. "But sensei, we don't know what pictures to take, and where do we even start?"

The teacher simply smirked as she went to the door. "That's why one of their member's will be working with you" as she slid the door open for it to close again.

". . . . Sensei?" Kohta and Nyu looked around as they didn't see anyone enter or exit. They then began to wonder if this person was supposed to be invisible or something.

"Look down! I'm right here!"

The pair then corrected their sight to see an elementary school girl dressed in a very cliché brown anime style witch outfit. "_. . . . huh?_"

"This is Yukari Sendo from class B" explained Kodo-sensei. "She is also part of the newspaper club as she'll be guiding you around the school for the pictures you will need to take".

"So does that mean . . . ." asked Nyu.

"Yep, in a way she'll be your boss for the next two or three hours" she smiled. Kodo soon left her classroom.

The pair gave a slight sigh at this. Kohta then looked to the child as she was looking back at them with glee. "Don't you think she looks a bit young to be in high school?" he whispered to Nyu.

"Actually she is really smart so she was allowed to skip a few grades and enter the academy".

"Wow, how old is she?"

"Eleven from what I heard" which caused Kohta's eyes to widen in surprise. "And she even scored number one in the school wide exam".

He then looked back at the child. "_Incredible, a child prodigy at such an age_" Kohta's attention then became more focused at her. Looking at the child she reminded him a lot of his sister, "_. . . . Kanae_" But then he noticed a strange twinkle in the girl's eyes. "_Huh? What is up with her?_"

But then without warning the little witch glomped his ditzy friend as she grabbed her chest while rubbing her face in them which caused Nyu to blush and slightly jump at the action.

"What are you doing?" exclaimed Kohta as he could only gape and blush at what he saw.

"Yukari-chan! Please stop! You're making me feel really weird!" as Nyu began to squirm to what was going on.

However it seemed that the little witch was far too entranced in what she was doing. "Such a grand beauty you are!" squealed Yukari. "So many perfect qualities like your porcelain like skin, long pink hair, big bright eyes, a pure aura, and ample boobs to boot" as she gave them a slight squeeze. "You're definitely as beautiful as my Moka-san!"

Kohta could only stare as he was completely dumbfounded. "_. . . . This girl . . . . definitely not like Kanae . . . . she seriously has some issues to work out_".

* * *

~ Youkai Academy ~ (late afternoon)

"So Yukari-chan" asked Kohta. "When does your club need these photos?"

The little witch looked up in thought. "Well we need them by today as our newspaper is due by tomorrow".

"Huh?" as both Kohta and Nyu looked to her in disbelief. "Cutting it close don't you think?"

"Sorry about this, but we were kind of side tracked with other problems to which we need to hurry and get these photos done as I need to return back to the club room to finish up the last few articles".

"Well OK, we will try our best to get things done".

With that the group ventured around the school getting photos of certain sites and people that Yukari wanted. For the most part, the tasks were rather simple. But most of the difficulty came from the little witch herself as she couldn't quite keep her hands off Nyu as she would constantly go on about how she was just as beautiful as Moka . . . . whoever she was.

But then after some time the group finished as Kohta and Nyu returned to the developing center to create the photos. Then afterwards they returned to Yukari giving her the fully developed work.

"Here you go Yukari-chan" smiled Kohta. "I hope your paper turns out really well".

Yukari smiled as she accepted the photos with glee. "Thank you Kohta-san and Nyu-san!" She then looked to Kohta. "You know, you're very nice. You seem a lot like the guy who works in the same club as me". But she then placed her hands on her cheek as she wiggled back and forth. "But my heart already belongs to him and Moka-san, and someday the three of us will share . . . ."

"Let me stop you there" interjected Kohta as he gave a strained laugh. "Don't you have to get back to your club to get things done?"

"Oh right! I better get going now. So thank you again and I wish we can all worked together on later projects!" as she smiled and waved them good-bye before leaving.

The tanned youth then looked to his pink friend. "Umm Nyu-san . . . . are you OK?"

"Yes . . . . I'm fine . . . ." responded Nyu although her body still shivered from the massive fondling she recently went through. Although she partly felt mortified, she also was slightly excited. Concerning Yukari, she had to make an exception that it was done by an eleven year old girl who really didn't know any better.

They both then looked back to the distant figure of the little witch. "_. . . . Someone seriously needs to talk to her_".

* * *

~ Youkai Academy ~ (the next day)

The day went as it usually went at Youkai Academy. First was the traveling down the main road. Then the death glares he would get from Nyu hanging onto his arm, and then starting class from there. Although there was a slight difference that morning as the newspaper club were handing out there their paper to anyone who were interested. But not to his and Nyu's surprise, most of the takers were overly hormonal boys.

So continuing on from there they went to class as they should until it was lunch time. But for most of that time period, Kohta's mind was distracted over something that has been bothering him since the last time he was in his inner world. "_So what exactly am I?_" as he looked out the classroom window in a slight daze. At first the idea was intriguing, but as he thought more about it the more he began to sink in trying to understand his dilemma. Although he considered himself a kind of guy who went with the flow of everything, the idea of him not being human seemed to have shook the very core of what he was.

But he didn't understand why such a thing should have bothered him. He was still him and that's all that should have mattered. But for some reason thinking he might be something else felt like his life thus far was a complete and utter lie. Thinking too far into it wasn't very productive. As far back as he could remember he was just a normal human child as he hadn't exhibited any special abilities whatsoever. But even with attaining these abilities it shouldn't really have mattered to him. Each time he tried to tell himself it didn't matter, the very pit of his stomach felt like twisting as heavy depression would set in. At this train of thought, "_Just what am I exactly?_"

Concerning his magic, he found it fascinating that he had access to such amazing abilities. I mean what normal guy like him wouldn't find this absolutely intriguing. But then after his thought process, he dared not use his powers. Simply, "_I just don't understand . . . . what the hell am I . . . ._"

Then lunch came about as everyone was then excused for their short break period.

Kohta absentmindedly left as he was now droning around the halls. Although externally he seemed fine enough, on the inside he felt hollow.

But there was one person he couldn't hide his turmoil from. "Kohta-kun, what's wrong?" asked Nyu. By her eyes, the tanned youth has been in and out as of late. That really concerned her.

Kohta immediately became attentive as he straightened himself up at the call of his ditzy friend. "Yeah? What is it Nyu-san?"

Nyu gave a depressed look at his demeanor. "Kohta-kun, what's been bothering you?"

The tanned youth blinked at this. ". . . . Nothing wrong Nyu-san. You're just imagining things".

"Kohta-kun . . . . please don't lie to me like that. I know you don't want to worry me . . . . but if we're friends please tell me what's wrong?"

Kohta sighed as he looked away. "Just . . . . leave it be please. This is something I want to solve on my own".

"But Kohta-kun . . . . !" but then turned silent as Nyu looked down dishearten.

The tanned youth immediately noticed her behavior. He then placed his hands on her shoulder in a comforting manner to let her know his intention. "Please don't be sad. This is just something I have to figure out for myself. But don't worry, this won't change anything to which if I ever have a problem I'll still come to you OK".

The ditzy girl looked up with a smile. "OK, just know if you ever need to talk I'm here for you"

Kohta nodded at this, "OK"

The pair then proceeded to the gathering area where most people went to eat their lunch. The place in question was a beautiful garden like terrace surrounded by flower bushes with many white circular tables and chairs to accompany them. As the pair looked around to see many groups talking and laughing like any teenager would do, they then soon spotted a familiar site.

"Yukari-chan? Why is she sitting there alone?" At seeing the little witch, she looked worried as she began to look back and forth for something. The pair then approached her.

"Yukari-chan, is there something wrong?" asked Nyu.

The little witch turned to them with relief on her face. "One of my friends ran off upset as Moka-san went off to see if they were OK".

The ditzy girl then sensed extreme distress coming from the child. "Did something happen recently?"

Yukari nodded, "The student police committee is trying to shut us down".

"Why?" asked Kohta. "I looked at your paper and it didn't seem to have done anything wrong. Besides what grounds does the police committee have to shut down another club?"

"They don't!" she exclaimed. But she then retracted as she shivered. "But if we refused to shut down then they threatened to shut us down by force . . . ."

The pair reacted in shock to this as they understood what she meant. The thought of the police committee using the threat of violence to coerce a club to shut down was a terrible thing to think about. If such a body in the student government was this corrupt then that spelt a lot of trouble for a lot of people.

"But what reason did they have to shut you down?" asked Kohta.

"It had something to do with last year during Gin-sempai's time" said Yukari. "According to him they wrote an article about the committee which they didn't find very favorable which resulted in the decimation of the club last year".

"You mean they attacked all the previous members just because they didn't like what they read?" asked Nyu in disbelief.

The little witch nodded. "We all worked so hard on our paper. But then they destroyed it, and . . . ." to which she began to sniffle.

Nyu patted the girl on the head. "Don't worry, it'll be fine. We all just have to keep working harder and so long as we stick together we'll be fine".

"But we . . . ."

"We're the photography club, remember?" smiled Kohta. "Anything that happens to the newspaper club happens to us too. So we got your back".

The ditzy girl then grabbed her hand as she slowly pulled her up. "Come on; let's go find your club mates as they will definitely need some cheering up".

Yukari smiled as she gave a nod, "thank you Kohta-san and Nyu-san".

The trio soon got up to leave to look for the missing newspaper club members as Yukari attempted to map out where they could have possibly ran off too.

"Where could they be?" she then asked but more to herself as she attempted to find her missing friends.

Nyu and Kohta kept an eye out. Although it was a bit silly as they didn't really know who they should be looking for as they didn't know anyone from that club. So they just simply followed the young witch from behind until she found who she was looking for.

"So you have no idea where they are?" asked Kohta.

"Well according to my calculations, they should have come through here" as Yukari scratched her head in thought. "Where could they have run off too?"

"You're the photography club, aren't you?"

The trio then looked to their side to see a pretty pale green haired girl who was dressed in a black colored military like uniform. "Yeah and . . . . who are you exactly?"

"That's one of the members of the police committee!" exclaimed Yukari as she pulled out her wand while getting into fighting stance.

"What? So these are the people attacking your club?" asked Nyu

"Oh not just the newspaper club" she smirked. "I was sent here to tie up some loose ends which were any person or club that was associated with the newspaper club".

"So wait! We're being targeted too?"

She nodded, "You're like a cancer, if we don't cut out the entire infection then it'll grow out infecting the healthy society around them. So simply any person who was associated with the newspaper club must now be eliminated. This will show a clear message to anyone who tries to disrupt the order of the academy to never even think about it".

"Leave them alone! They had nothing to do with this!" shouted Yukari.

The girl's expression then turned darker. In that instant her pale green hair started to stand as her skin began to turn paler as her eyes turned black while her pupils turned yellow. As she was now, it almost seemed like she was beginning to become more ghost like. "My name Kaori, and today I'll be your executioner!"

"What is she?" as Kohta stepped back in surprise to what he saw.

"She's a banshee!" said Yukari. "They're a type of monster that uses sound based attacks to kill their enemy. Be careful!"

The creature soon started the fight as she screamed creating ultrasonic waves which began tearing up the ground going right at them.

"Get out of the way!" yelled Yukari to which the trio jumped avoiding the sonic attack. She immediately counter attacked as she waved her wand as a giant wash pan appeared above the banshee only for it to prove ineffective.

Kohta watched the exchange between them as he begun to quake in uncertainty. He knew he should be doing something to help for letting a child do the fighting for him was a rather disgraceful thing to do. However his fears began to resurface again as he tried to use his powers. But as compelled as he was to wanting to do something, he found that his body did not wish to move.

"Kohta-kun! Yukari-chan is in trouble! We have to do something!" exclaimed Nyu. But at seeing her tanned friend completely paralyzed, "Kohta-kun?" as now he was simply sitting there looking wide eyed to the event.

"I . . . . I can't . . . ." as he looked down in frustration.

"But why not? She's in trouble!"

" . . . . I just . . . . can't . . . ."

Nyu looked to him with a heavy heart. But then her face became serious as she took his hand and placed it over her bracelet as it began to glow. At this action her horns appeared as Lucy was now free. She then got up and faced away from him. "If you want to be useless fine, just stay out of the way" as she soon ran off to the support the little witch.

Kohta looked away in disgust.

"Ahh!" screamed Yukari as she was now on her back quaking in pain at the moment.

"Time to die" smoothly stated Kaori as she opened her mouth to deliver the finishing blow. But then was forced away at feeling an incredible shock hit her face. "What?"

Lucy then sent her vectors forward easily knocking the banshee aside as she swatted her away like a bug. Then sending her psychic hands in once again, she picked her up as she threw her once more.

However Kaori easily recovered using her sonic voice to correct her balance. Then spotting her target began her scream.

"_I can't let her get me!_" thought Lucy as she started running faster. "_I need to close the distance between us and finish this quickly!_" In observing her opponents abilities, her sound attack was getting dangerous as it was wide range attack which easily decimated the area around them. But worse off if her assumption was right about this opponent, it would mean big trouble if she got hit by her sound. So launching herself up in the air she wrapped several vectors around her right arm greatly enhancing her physical strength as she cocked her fist back ready to finish this. "Eat this!" as she threw her punch.

Kaori was surprised at the gutsy move, but unable to attack or move in time she had no choice but to take it as the punch dislocated her jaw almost knocking her unconscious.

Lucy who had now landed next to her gave a bit of a proud smirk. "Impressive, you're still conscious after taking a hit like that. I probably should have focused more power before attacking you". Her opponent then lifted her head. "Still trying to fight huh? Rather futile of you at this point in time".

However Kaori started to scream which Lucy instantly saw as the attack was no threat to her. But then taking a second look, that's when she realized where the attack was going. "Hey stupid, get out of the way!" she yelled as the sonic waves were flying right at the still dazed boy. "Damn it!" and not even thinking about it she punched her vectors into the ground instantaneously pushing herself in front of the attack. Her face tightened as she crossed her arms as well as her vectors at seeing the incoming sound wave. "_This is going to hurt_". The moment the sound hit her vectors they shattered as Lucy then took the full brunt of Kaori's attack. "Ahhhh!" she screamed in pain as she had to hold her ears as blood began to leak out. As she thought, the sound attacks were affecting her mind disrupting certain sections of her brain making it impossible to concentrate her vectors. To a psychic like herself, getting hit by sound at certain frequencies was like having nails on a chalkboard occurring right inside her head.

Lucy soon collapsed to her knees as she cringed in pain while still holding her ears.

Kaori then got up as she forcibly re-corrected her jaw as she now looked exceedingly pissed. "B**ch, I'm going to make sure you now suffer for injuring my face". She then kicked Lucy to the ground. Then taking aim, she opened her mouth as she let out a full pitch scream.

"_I can't . . . . take anymore of this . . . ._" as the horned girl was now withering in how much pain she was in. As much as her body was hurting, her head was hurting more as she held her ears in a futile effort to lessen the stress. "Ahhhh!"

Kaori then took another breath. "_This ought to finish you_". As she was about to attack she was surprised to find herself instantly knocked off her feet as she was now on the ground. "_What the hell was that?_" She then looked up to see the other member of the photography club as one of his arms was glowing as it was raised at her. Her face began to twist in rage, "so you want to die first huh, then die!" as she let out a howling scream. But the moment her attack was about to reach, a strange circle of runes appeared to stop it. At seeing him begin to advance on her, "_what the hell is he? What kind of monster is he to do such a thing?_" By appearance, her attack was not slowing him down.

Kohta slowly advanced as the conduits were now lit on both his arms. He then started to push the shield against the sound as his body began to feel extreme vibrations from the aftershock. Due to this side effect, the vibrations were causing some internal damage as he had now begun to bleed out from his eyes. However that didn't really matter now as he now understood something. "_I can't believe how stupid I've been acting! Wasn't this the whole reason I got these powers!_"

In recalling the short conversation he had with his specter, he wanted power so he wouldn't be helpless. But more so, it was to protect his friend and that meant something to him. So throwing aside his doubts he placed both his hands behind the shield as he began pushing harder against it. In retaliation, he felt the banshee increase her volume to stop him. Although he felt his body cracking under the stress of the banshee's scream, "_I can't give up now! Lucy-san needs my help!_"

"_This can't be possible!_" thought Kaori. "_No such monster should be able to withstand my attack even with magic!_" She tried to scream louder, but was already at her limit as her lungs were taxed. But even at maximum volume he was not stopping. "_It's not possible!_"

Kohta was getting weaker as cracks were beginning to form all over his skin drenching parts of his uniform in blood. "_At this rate I only have about a few seconds before I literally bleed out to death_". So digging in deep, his shield began to glow brighter as he started pushing harder making a dash towards his opponent. "_I've got to finish this now!_"

"_Stay back!_" as Kaori began to move to retreat. However she wasn't moving fast enough as her opponent was closing in quickly. But now standing in front of her, she could no longer run. Then to make matters worse her lungs were now completely deflated as she was forced to take a breath. At that act, her opponent lowered their shield to reveal a severely bleeding boy who looked half dead on his feet. Although by appearance he was the one beaten, something about his aura said otherwise.

Kohta gave shallow breaths as began to slouch where he stood. He then gave a low chuckle, "sorry, but I don't really hit girls".

"Then allow me!" as Lucy who had just recuperated soon punched the police member so hard that she was sent flying into the woods nearby."Tsk" as she spat to the ground. "should have done that from the start".

"Ouch . . . ." noting how hard she was hit. Then turning back to his friend, "are you OK Lucy-s . . . ." But before he could finish his words of concern he too was punched in the face by the same diclonius girl sending him to the ground as he had to hold the spot at where he was hit. "Lucy-san?"

"Count yourself lucky that I haven't broken your face in yet".

"Huh?" as he looked to her in confusion. "You do know I'm kind of injured right?"

"Like I care. I told you before; if you ever upset my other I'm going to make you pay, and since you took your time getting your butt up to help me you can say anger is appropriate. However . . . ." wich caused Kohta to flinch back instinctively. "Since you made yourself useful this time I'll let you off with that courtesy warning" as she turned away slightly blushing.

Kohta gave a choked laugh. "Uhh, thanks". Lucy soon extended her hand which he took as she pulled him up. He then clenched he held one of the injuries on his chest. "Damn that hurts".

Lucy looked to him briefly before looking away. "I guess I'll take you to the nurse's office first".

But just before they could leave, "Wait! What about Yukari-chan!"

As if right on cue, "That was amazing!" exclaimed Yukari as she tackled the horned girl from behind.

This act caused Kohta to fall face first onto the ground as he twitched in pain, ". . . . Why me?"

"An opposite tsundere personality, the incredible power, and the extreme strength you're definitely like my Moka-san!" exclaimed the little witch as she hugged Lucy even tighter.

Lucy growing slightly irritated soon peeled her off. "Fine! Just get off me already!" Even at the aggressive statement, the little witch continued to watch her in awe which caused her to sweat drop a bit. "_. . . . This kid seriously needs talking too_".

Kohta soon sat up to watch the spectacle in front of him. "Kind of injured here, can someone please take me to the nurse's office?"

The horned girl looked to him and then back to Yukari. "You know some healing spells right? Use some of it on him to stop his whining".

"_So cool!_" as Yukari shivered a bit at Lucy's charisma. She then knelt down as she began applying her magic to the tanned youth's wounds. As her spell glowed over the injury, "_. . . . That's strange, his wounds aren't healing properly like a normal monster. Hmm, I wonder what kind of monster he is to not react to my spells very well_". A certain thought then came to mind as she recalled the battle. "By the way Kohta-san, you had some very impressive spells back there".

"Uhh, thanks . . . . I guess".

"But . . . . I have never seen any kind of magic like that before. What kind of magic do you use?"

"What kind of magic? What are you talking about?" as Kohta looked to her curiously.

"_Is he serious?_" as she perched one of her eyebrows. She then let out a low sigh. "Well there are many kinds of magic in the world which varies between species to which from there varies in the level of the practitioner".

"Is that so" partly chuckled Kohta as he was still more or less following along. "Actually . . . . I have no idea what kind of magic I use . . . ."

"What?" Yukari then exclaimed. "What kind of self-respecting magic user doesn't even know what kind of magic they use?"

"Me . . . . I guess . . . ." as the tanned youth gave another strained laugh. "So what kind of magic do you think I use".

The little witch looked up in thought as she continued her task of healing. "Hmm, I honestly don't know. When I was looking at you fight I was very impressed by the spell. If I had to guess by the spell configuration, it looked a lot like youjutsu. However . . . ."

"However?" as Kohta asked in anticipation for the answer.

"Well . . . . I honestly don't know . . . ."

"Huh? What is that supposed to mean?"

Yukari scratched her cheek at this puzzling predicament. "I've studied and read about almost every kind of magic known in the world. The closest your magic looks like is to youjutsu which is the epitome of magical abilities. But looking at the rune configuration, it doesn't look like anything I've ever seen before".

Kohta then looked down in worry, "_and the questions just keep on coming . . . ._"

"By the way Kohta-san, what kind of monster are you?"

The tanned youth almost choked at this question. "Why . . . . Why do you ask?"

"I seem to be having trouble using my healing spell on you. I know some monsters to which magic works differently on them. So if I know what kind of monster you are I think I can tune my spell to better work for you".

" . . . . Well" he then slurred. "I . . . . ."

"That's not important" then interjected Lucy. "Just do what you can for him got it".

Kohta breathed out a sigh of relief. "_Thanks Lucy-san_" to which the horned girl heard.

"I'll do what I can" as Yukari finished up her spell.

From there the little witch left to go find her friends as Lucy fell back to her slumber as Kohta took her back to her dorm. Nothing to eventful occurred from that point as time ended like it usually did concluding another day at Youkai Academy.

* * *

~ Youkai Academy ~ (next day)

"This is beginning to look like serious trouble". On his usual route to school, Yukari filled both him and Nyu up on the latest news of what was going on. It appeared that an arachnid monster whom was part of the police committee attacked her friends to which one of them got injured. However the battle ended soundly in their victory. But in looking at how they operated thus far, "this is far from over. The police committee will be back for vengeance. We should be prepared for them when they come".

As he walked around absentmindedly thinking about his next move, he noticed a familiar boy sitting slouched over on the bench looking quite depressed. "_Hey I know that guy . . . . well sort of. I wonder why he looks so down._" So deciding to try and do the right thing he took a seat next to him. "Hey umm . . . . you look kind of down. Are you OK?" Now guys weren't exactly well known for expressing their feelings as they have always been taught to bottle them up. But in Kohta's case, he figured he was doing a decent job thus far in approaching this matter.

". . . . I don't really want to talk about it".

"Well I do know that you'll feel a lot better if you let this off your chest, and if you're worried about me telling then don't because I can keep a secret".

"That's actually the problem. Anyone who knows my secret will either have me killed or get themselves killed for just simply knowing". The boy then coughed out a bit, "but at this rate the entire school will find out very soon".

Kohta's eyes widened at the statement. "_It must be pretty serious to proclaim death about it_". "OK, I guess I shouldn't ask then".

The boy gave a long dreaded sigh. "Because the police committee found out my secret my friends ended up learning it to which now I am alone. But even worse they probably could be in trouble from simply associating with me".

The tanned youth whistled at this. "Wow that must be one hell of a secret to be punishable by death". At this moment Kohta was becoming very curious to what this secret might be. "_. . . . but if I remember correctly there was only one crime resulting to the immediate death sentence . . . . what was it . . . . ?_"

The boy then gave a weak smile. "Well I guess I do feel a bit better after getting this off my chest".

"You're welcome" smiled Kohta. "Is there something else I can do to help you out of this predicament?"

"Afraid not, not unless you can get the death sentence revoked off me".

"_I wonder if he's just exaggerating about the whole death thing_" as Kohta looked to him curiously. "I guess I can't really do much for you then at the moment". He then got up as he extended his hand in a handshake gesture. "By the way sorry for the late introductions but name is Kohta, Kohta Hisashi. And you?"

The boy looked up with a weak smile as he took his hand. "It's nice to meet you. My name is Tsukune, Tsukune Aono. But with my current circumstance, this probably will be our last meeting".

To be continued . . . .

* * *

Author's notes: This concludes yet another chapter as I hope you have all enjoyed what you've read thus far. So I thank you all for reading.

**Draco Oblivion** – I agree that it has to be the most awesome way to study. But concerning the Nyu/Lucy persona, it will be revealed in a later time. But anyways thank you for reading as well as your kind patronage in dropping in a critique.

**TheWatcher2785** – Well I hope my surprise is good because I have something big planned for that. So thank you for reading as well as your kind patronage in dropping in a critique.

**NANLIT** – Yeah well little Kohta has his reasons for being a enigmatic jerk seeing as enigma is quite overrated. But that will be revealed in time. As for that 'special' book, well . . . . I have something funny planned for that. But it won't happen until a sometime later in the story. So thank you for reading as well as your kind patronage in dropping in a critique.

**Balthier** – Precisely, but you'll have to wait to see what kind of past Kohta had with 'her'. So thank you for reading as well as your kind patronage in dropping in a critique.

**Fort the Deviant** – Indeed they are. So thank you for reading as well as your kind patronage in dropping in a critique.

**Vaan** – Well I hope it was impressive. So thank you for reading as well as your kind patronage in dropping in a critique.

**Lord Shadowstorm** – Then I hope to continue writing it. So thank you for reading as well as your kind patronage in dropping in a critique.

So I would like to thank you all for reading this fic and I further extend my gratitude if you can review it as well.


	8. It's Just Another Day, Right?

Rosario to Elf

Disclaimer: I do not own Elfen Lied, Rosario + Vampire, or any characters associated with either of the series.

"talking"

_thoughts_

* * *

It's Just Another Day, Right?

* * *

The boy looked up with a weak smile as he took his hand. "It's nice to meet you. My name is Tsukune, Tsukune Aono. But with my current circumstance, this probably will be our last meeting".

Kohta gave him a dumbfounded look. "_Kind of being extreme there . . . ._", but then shook his head as he looked back at him. "Well if you need help just ask OK".

Tsukune gave a low chuckle, "yeah, right". As he soon got up to walk away. By with his aura alone anyone could tell how much despair he was feeling.

The boy watched as he left and wondered if he should have done something more. But soon shook his head as he passed it off as normal teenage angst of over dramatizing things. Then again he was living in a monster school, so he couldn't really say much as he wasn't sure how monsters really thought. "_And besides, I shouldn't really poke my nose where is doesn't belong_". So with that he turned to leave, "_I wonder what Nyu-san is doing right now_".

* * *

~ Youkai Academy (common area) ~

"Kohta-kun! There's trouble!" almost shouted Nyu as she looked quite frantic the moment her tanned friend appeared.

"Wait hold on" said Kohta trying to calm the ditzy girl down. "Slow down and just tell me what happened".

Nyu nodded as she took a deep breath to calm herself down. "The newspaper club is in trouble!" she then shouted.

Kohta winced at the second sudden outburst. He then shook his head to refocus himself. "Wait, what do you mean they're in trouble? What happened?"

"The police committee just came recently and took two of their members!"

Kohta looked down in thought. "OK, that's not good. Do you know where they're being taken?"

Nyu nodded. "They left to the police committee's headquarters. Yukari-chan and her friends already left to go help them. We have to go to make sure that they are OK!"

The tanned youth closed his eyes in thought. The simple fact was he was volunteering himself to drop head first into trouble against a corrupt dangerous group of monsters and what sane person would do that? I mean he had plans of just living at the school as quietly and as peacefully as he could. "_Who the hell am I kidding?_" as he rubbed the back of his head. It was not in his nature to turn a blind eye when something bad was happening to the people around him. Hell, even being in a monster school wasn't going to change his mind about doing the right thing especially when someone was reaching out for help. Besides, "_I already gave Yukari-chan my word of honor that the photography club would support the newspaper club, and I don't intend to go back on it_". He then looked back to Nyu. "Alright let's get going. We've got a club to save".

"Let's do it" as the ditzy girl pumped both her fists.

* * *

~ Youkai Academy (police committee's headquarters) ~

It didn't take the pair much time to arrive at the site as there headquarters were right at the edge of the school. As they arrived they saw a long stretch of torri gates along a pathway leading to a very intimidating looking building which obviously looked more like a prison then a place of justice even for something that should look friendlier on school grounds.

"Is this the place?"

"Yes!" replied Nyu. "Yukari-chan and her friends should already be inside. We have to hurry and get to them!"

"Let's hurry then!" to which the pair soon raced off down the pathway. At seeing the main door, "there's the entrance! We're going in!"

But before they could take another step, Nyu's eyes widened in shock as she felt a sudden zip of energy surge through her senses.

"Nyu-san? What's wrong?"

". . . . Trouble . . . ."

Just before she could elaborate, there was no point as Kohta now understood why.

"Who the hell are you people?"

"Hey I recognize them! They're from the photography club! They're the ones responsible for beating Kaori. It looks like we've got some justice to dispense".

"Ahh, so there's more garbage for us to deal with huh?"

"Can't wait, I've been itching to kill something all day".

Kohta rapidly looked around to see many of the police members appear as they walked out from wherever they were hiding. But then it just occurred to him, "_we've should have used the back door_" as he held his face in disbelief. "Wait a minute" as he looked up. "But why are all the police committee members here?"

A bulky police member walked up. "We're just here to ensure that no one interferes with the interrogation of that boy".

"Besides, Kuyou-sama is already plenty strong enough to dispense justice where it is needed" said a female member. "But since the photography club decided to come that means you intended to interfere right?"

"Awesome! We've got something to kill!"

"Besides they beat Kaori which obviously means they're evil, right?"

"Let us serve justice shall we?" to which the police committee members were now beginning to close around them.

"_This is bad_" thought Kohta. Running through his mind they were completely surrounded by enemies with unknown statistics as they were standing on the front door of enemy territory without back-up or an escape route. "_Yeah . . . . that about sums it up_" as he looked a bit glum.

"Kohta-kun! Release me and I can help too!" said Nyu as she took Kohta's hand.

But he paused at this action. As strong as Lucy was they were practically fighting an entire army and he didn't want her to do this alone. As strong as his magic was, his attack spells were only good for about six or seven shots before his energy was completely drained. Then looking back at Nyu, he took hold of her bracelet releasing Lucy as her horns appeared and with it her enormous presence which seemed to have intimidated the opponents that surrounded them. "But I have to do everything I can".

As Lucy opened her crimson eyes, she took a glance at their current situation. "You sure have a knack for dragging me into some rather troublesome situations". She then looked back at Kohta with a slight growl. "You're going to owe me for this later".

"Fine then!" retorted Kohta. "But right now we need to a plan our next move or risk being completely overwhelmed resulting in our untimely death".

"Fine" said Lucy as she grabbed the tanned youth while striking the ground with her vectors shooting them both over the crowd as they landed near the front door. "I'll go deal with them myself" as she turned back to face her many adversaries. "Help or not, I don't really care as I can deal with this myself".

Right before them the police committee began to mutate into their respective monster forms ranging from many species all around the world.

Lucy stared out to the crowd in indifference. But soon an arrogant smirk began to spread along her face. "This ought to be interesting" as she soon raced towards them as they too did the same to her. The horned girl sent her vectors out knocking aside five of them as her opening move. But as her opponents closed the distance into close range battle, Lucy wrapped her vectors around her arms and legs psychically enhancing her body's defenses and strength. As she turned around, she blocked a golem's massive fist with ease as she countered with her own punch sending the rock monster flying. Then turning to the next opponent, she kicked her sending her a distance away towards the forest. "_Hmph, too easy_", although she could easily beat all of them with just her vectors alone she enjoyed the feeling of crushing them with her own hands.

"You're going down now!"

The horned girl turned to see an opponent an inch away from hitting her, but was stopped as he was sent several feet away slightly smoldering. Lucy looked to see Kohta with his arm raised as his attack spell was still glowing. "_Looks, like he's getting off his lazy a** to do something_" thought Lucy as she soon returned to her fight.

"I have to do all I can to support her. I can't let Lucy-san fight this all alone" as Kohta kept himself focused to blast any monster that got too close to Lucy before she could counter them. "I have six shots left before I'm out of power. I better make them count". Taking his time to observe, he blasted five more as he started to feel the stress taking its toll on his stamina. "One shot left, I've got to make it count!"

"And what do you think you're doing?" as a bug like officer had sneaked around the fight to get to him.

"_Oh crap!_" thought Kohta. "_How did he get so close without me noticing?_"

"Die!" the monster screamed as it swung its blade arm at him.

"_That idiot!_" thought Lucy as she glimpsed back to see what was going on. However she couldn't do anything as she was busy with her own problem.

Kohta seeing the attack coming started to offset himself to avoid it. "_This is going to be close!_" But as the blade arrived it slightly connected with him slashing his uniform causing a minor flesh wound on his side. Out of impulse, he struck back with his own fist hitting the bug like monster in the face. And to his surprise, "_how did I do that?_" With his counter the insectoid was shot away as its body was imbedded into a tree. He then looked to the hand that did it as he couldn't believe what he just did, but there it was in front of him. If he had to guess, the magic he used somehow enhanced his body's physical parameters drastically as he didn't really feel any resistance when his fist connected. However he didn't have much time to ponder this as he now had a batch of his own opponents to fight.

"Look at what he did!"

"Get him!"

Lucy noticed some of her opponents depart from her group as they went off to fight Kohta. At looking she was sort of worried. But focusing at where the action was going on, she refocused herself back to her fight. "_It looks like he has things covered_".

With one attack after another Kohta was dodging, parrying, and countering each move that came his way. "_How am I doing this?_" As he moved, it felt natural to him as if his body already knew what to do far better then what his brain was telling. Without even thinking about what to do next, his arms and legs were already a step ahead of him. Throughout his entire life, he has never had any kind of self-defense training or fighting experience. But from an outside point of view one would think otherwise as Kohta was handling himself almost like a master who done this over a hundred times before.

Then after ten minutes worth of fighting Kohta had beaten down the police committee that went after him. Although he had to make Lucy fight the girls which came after him as he found himself stalled every time he tried to punch one. At that conclusion Kohta slouched placing his hands on his knees to take a breath. "Thank god that it's over" he breathed out. Although his body was exhausted his mind was racing. I mean he just did something incredible as he just beat down a group of monsters with his bare hands although with magically enhanced strength. But hell it was still amazing in and of itself. "I can't believe I just did that", but at wondering this he figured he'd pass this off as having a natural aptitude for fighting as thinking any further into this would only add to his already complex dilemma.

Kohta then looked to see as Lucy had just finished off her last opponent as she was holding him up with one arm by a choke hold as her opponent was far too beaten to resist. She soon dropped him as Lucy looked down at the body with indifference. "How boring" as she turned towards Kohta beginning to move towards him. "It looks like you've been hiding more then you let on Kohta".

The tanned youth gave a low chuckle while still giving uneasy breaths. "Not at all Lucy-san, I'm just as surprised as you at how well did".

Lucy simply blinked at this. "Really now?" the horned girl stated as she looked at the bodies that surrounded him. Although she doubted, he could not hide his thoughts from her telepathy. So she knew he wasn't lying. However, "_I'll keep watching him for now_" as she looked to see Kohta's dumb grinning face. "_I wonder what else he's hiding in that human shell of his . . . ._" In observing thus far, the boy was one mystery after another and what he did just now was no coincidence. First the ability to see impossible things, then his complex mind, the spells he uses, and now his unnatural aptitude for hand to hand combat. "_Just what are you Kohta?_"

Kohta soon recuperated enough as he saw Lucy approach him. "So are you OK Lucy-san?"

The horned girl folded her arms. "Stupid question for stupid boy I suppose" as she rose her chin in arrogance.

The tanned youth gave a soft chuckle to this. "Yes, sorry Lucy-san. We better get going now. Yukari-chan and her friends must have already made contact with the leader. So we better go see to make sure that they're OK".

Lucy looked to him before giving a nod as she soon started to move advance.

"Die!"

The horned girl noticed the incoming attack. "_What? I thought he was down!_" But it was too late to raise her defenses as the long sharp nail was now an inch away from touching her.

"Lucy-san!" as Kohta saw what was coming he raised his arm to take aim. However he couldn't shoot as Lucy was still standing in his line of fire. As time seemed to have slowed down, he felt his heart sink at his inability stop the inevitable of what was going to happen.

But in that moment his head started to hurt as he saw a bright light before him. As his eyes focused at what was happening his face widened in shock. There again was his younger self as he looked scared at what he saw. As he looked at the boy's line of sight, "_there she is again_". There stood the pink haired girl as she looked back at them equally as scared as some sort of blade arm outside his sight reached out and cut her down from behind. As she fell before them blood splattered out as his younger self reached out to her as if wanting to save her. Like himself, he too began to reach out in desperation as he needed to make it in time for her. Unable to bare it any further, he screamed out her name.

"Kaede-chan!" to which a strange shadowy like mist flashed from his hand as many shadows from the surrounding forest stretched out with ghost like arms as they reached out stopping the attack just millimeters away from touching Lucy.

The horned girl immediately coming to her senses punched her opponent down with extreme force as the monster was sent to the ground grinding against the concrete only stopping several feet away after losing momentum from the hit he took. Lucy breathed out at the close call as she then looked back to Kohta with a slight glare.

"Lucy-san . . . . ?" asked Kohta slightly flinching back at feeling the stare his pink friend was giving him.

Lucy now stood in front of him as her eyes stared directly into his as if searching for something. "How did you do that?"

". . . . Do what Lucy-san?"

"Whatever you did with those shadows, how did you do that?"

"Shadows?" asked Kohta curiously. "What do you mean?"

Lucy's eyebrow rose at this. "_Hmm . . . . he isn't lying about not knowing . . . . But his presence . . . . it felt different just a moment ago_". She closed her eyes in thought, "_but why did he call out Kaede? Hmm, he probably wouldn't know that either_". She then shook her head as she reopened her eyes. "So do you know what just happened?"

"What do you mean?" he then asked. "Your reaction time was incredible as you knocked him down before he could even touch you"

Lucy stared at him briefly before folding her arms. "Yeah . . . . that's what happened".

"Alright, let's get going then. The newspaper club might be in trouble" as he went to the door.

" _. . . . I'll keep watching for now_".

* * *

~ Youkai Academy ~ (the next day)

The danger had passed as the newspaper club defeated Kuyou as the news spread around the school like wild fire. Although the information was a bit screwy, it was agreed upon that Kuyou was defeated and by a vampire boy of the newspaper club. His name was still unclear as the news was still new as gossip and rumors only made it more difficult to understand what the real truth was.

As Kohta sat at one of the tables he could only sigh. "It looks like we weren't any help at all".

"Agreed" nodded Nyu as she looked somewhat depressed.

By the time they entered the facility they were sidetracked by first needing to help prisoners who were wrongfully accused and second getting kind of lost trying to find where the newspaper club was being kept. But after finding a half dead human fox looking creature they assumed was Kuyou, it was safe to assume the newspaper club was safe and had already left to wherever they went.

"How are you guys doing?" asked Yukari happily as she took a seat at their table.

"Yukari-chan" smiled Nyu. "How are your friends doing?"

"Fine!" smiled the little witch. "Everything turned out alright and everybody is just fine. Plus with Kuyou's defeat the police committee is being disbanded and will continue to be so until further review by the school principle".

"Good" said Kohta. With a corrupt portion of the student government now removed a lot of people could breath easily now. But concerning his last battle a certain thought came to mind. "Umm, Yukari-chan there's a favor I'd like to ask you".

"Yeah sure, what is it Kohta-san?"

"I was wondering . . . . if you could teach me some magic".

"Kohta-kun?" asked Nyu curiously.

"Well I've been thinking about this for a while now, and my current spells are draining me too fast to be very useful in the dangerous lives we have here. Of course I can learn from the academy's books. But I think it would be more beneficial learning from another magic user".

"But then why all of the sudden Kohta-kun?" she then asked.

"The last battle showed me how I need to be better prepared to face whatever this school throws at me. So I want to be ready the next time. As the saying goes it's better to have it and not need it then need it but not have it".

Nyu nodded as she couldn't disagree with that line of logic.

"Actually Kohta-san" said Yukari. "For the record, you two really helped us out. After the battle with Kuyou our group was seriously too hurt to fight anymore. So when you took care of all the other members it really helped us out". The little witch smiled as she then stood up. "Well I don't mind teaching you some of the things I know. But understand that I'm a very strict teacher and I don't plan to go easy on you".

Kohta nodded, "I've got no objections. Let's get started as soon as we can".

"Can I come too?" asked Nyu. "Maybe I can help out in some way".

"I don't see why not" said Yukari. "We'll begin tomorrow morning. So be on time OK!"

That concluded yet another day at Youkai Academy.

To be continued . . . .

* * *

Author's notes: As Yukari said I never understood why the other police committee members didn't come to help Kuyou. So I figured it would be a good place to put Kohta and Nyu as it would explain how the newspaper club got out of there without anymore fighting as Gin, Moka, and Tsukune were too exhausted to do anything else to which Kurumu and Yukari couldn't really do much to protect them if they were jumped by the other members. But soon the two clubs will meet as their journey will soon begin together.

**Lord Shadowstorm** – Well I can't wait to write that part and soon the two casts will meet. So thank you for reading as well as your kind patronage in dropping in a critique.

**Balthier** – Well I wanted Kohta to have more of a spine in comparison to Tsukune at the beginning of the story. Although their base personalities do share some strong similarities I enjoy the character being stronger at expressing themselves. So thank you for reading as well as your kind patronage in dropping in a critique.

**Fort the Deviant** – He will in time. So thank you for reading as well as your kind patronage in dropping in a critique.

**TheWatcher2785** – Yes he is a mystery indeed. So thank you for reading as well as your kind patronage in dropping in a critique.

**Vaan** – Well it was the only thing that made sense to me. Every strong character has to have a weakness like vampires to water, werewolves to silver, yukionnas to fire, succubus to strong minds, and the list goes on. At least that is what I figure. So thank you for reading as well as your kind patronage in dropping in a critique.

So I would like to thank you all for reading this fic and I further extend my gratitude if you can review it as well.


	9. Class is in Session

Rosario to Elf

Disclaimer: I do not own Elfen Lied, Rosario + Vampire, or any characters associated with either of the series.

"talking"

_thoughts_

* * *

Class is in Session

* * *

Yukari couldn't even understand it. As she looked at the site, approximately ten meters of forest was burned to a crisp and as she looked at the person who did it, she couldn't understand how he did it. "Kohta-san . . . ."

"Yeah . . . ." he replied still dazed at what he just did.

"How did this happen?"

" . . . . I was just practicing the spell you taught me"

Yukari's mouth could only hang open at hearing that statement. "You turned a simple spell into an inferno! How can you even mess up something like that?"

Kohta could only give a choked laugh at this. But at feeling the glare he was getting. " . . . . Sorry".

"I managed . . . . to get it all" breathed out Nyu as she worked frantically to light out the fire.

"Sorry Nyu-san" replied the tanned youth as he scratched his head.

"It's OK" she smiled as she rubbed the soot smudge off her cheek.

Kohta then removed a handkerchief as he handed it to her. "Here this ought to help".

Nyu smiled as she took it. "Thank you Kohta-kun".

At watching this exchange, Yukari sighed as she cupped her cheeks while giving a blush. She really liked the chemistry that occurred between the two. Although she initially questioned if they were an item, both were quick to disregard it in embarrassment. However to her trained eyes something was definitely there just waiting to come out. As much as she liked to play match maker with them she was busy trying to match make her own couple. "_Oh, why can't Moka-san and Tsukune-san be more like them?_"

"A little right there" pointed Kohta.

"Here?"

"No, just a little more to your left".

"Here?"

Kohta then took the handkerchief from her as he rubbed it. "Hmm, this would be much easier if we had some water" to which an idea came to mind. "Maybe I should try conjuring some water" to which with a wave of his hand started to perform a spell.

At noticing this, Yukari attempted to stop him. "No! Don't Kohta-san!" But it was too late as a giant pillar of water then dropped on the pair completely drenching them.

The tanned youth stood there for a moment before squirting the water from his mouth, ". . . . Well . . . . at the least we're clean now". But at looking to his ditzy friend he averted his eyes while blushing a bit. In the downpour, Nyu's white dress shirt now clung to her body hugging it closely showing off her perfect curves as the details of her flowery white bra began to show. Kohta held his face as he continued to look away, "._ . . . I think I might have just added an entire new chapter to 'The Perverted Thoughts of Nyu' book_".

Nyu blinked at this before letting out a soft laugh. "You're really bad at this".

"Hey! At least I'm trying!"

But this only caused the ditzy girl to laugh louder at him as he tried harder to defend himself.

Yukari could only shake her head at this. "These two . . . ."

* * *

~ Youkai Academy ~ (sometime later)

After drying themselves out, Yukari decided it was safer just to teach Kohta the theoretical aspects of magic rather than the practical as it would be safer for everyone that way. So using a little magic she warped in several books in front of them to begin their lesson.

"Now starting from the basics, do you understand what the most fundamental use of magic is?"

Kohta stared at her for a moment before rubbing the back of his head, ". . . . no"

"Huh? How can you not even know something like that? Who's been teaching you magic all this time?"

"A little ghost boy" the tanned youth said half jokingly.

"Huh?"

"It's . . . . complicated . . . . " as Kohta looked away slightly in guilt. "I have never actually been taught how to use magic properly".

"Kohta-kun's situation is rather . . . . complicated" said Nyu. "So why don't you please explain it to him then".

The young witch couldn't quite believe what she was hearing, but decided to let it go. Yukari gave a sigh at this. "For magic users, there are three distinct levels. First level users require the need of words to cast spells. Second level users only need simple gestures in order to use magic. Then there are the third level users" as her eyes twinkled at this.

"OK, so what about third level users?"

"There the stuff legends are made of!" said Yukari excitedly which almost caused Kohta and Nyu to jump a bit at her energy. "You see, level three users are so powerful that their thoughts alone are enough to cast a spell. That small handful of people who are strong enough to do this are granted the rank of sage. With such a rank, you get royalties from the magic community to fund any kind of research project you want to do".

"Wow" replied Kohta. "So it's kind of like a research PhD then".

"A PhD?" she then asked.

The tanned youth immediately caught his mistake as he waved his hands at this. "Well a PhD is a human thing I learned while I was living there". The little witch continued to give him a strange look. "I kind of . . . . look into a lot of human things".

"Oh" Yukari then replied. "So what is it?"

"Well in the human world, a research PhD is something like a sage in which they get money from different parties like government or private corporations to do specific research in".

"Well . . . . I guess that makes sense. Anyways I myself am a second level magic user and looking at you, you are also a second level".

Kohta nodded in confirmation to this, "interesting".

"Yeah, you should be proud to be able to achieve something like this" as she then conjured in a blackboard drawing a pyramid on it. Then drawing three lines, "the bottom is the most common level three, mid section is the uncommon level two, and the top is the rare level three. But I think you should restart at the very basic of level one. Perhaps that way you can learn to better control your magic because if you keep destroying school property I don't think the school principle will forgive you".

"Yeah, I better keep that in mind" as Kohta gave a strained chuckle.

Yukari flipped the board around. "When you think about it magic and human science are very much alike. For in both of them they require a certain formulation in order to create an effect. Unlike science which is based on numbers, magic is based off symbols and words. In the right formulation you can create about any effect". She then started to write a few symbols. "Some of these symbols represent the subject and when coupled with the right word formulation you can create certain effects".

"OK, so it's like a language and speaking out a sentence".

"Exactly, when said or written in the right way you create a spell".

Kohta nodded as he was following along. "OK, you were do I begin?"

"You can start by copying this sentence over and over again until you perfectly get it right. Then afterwards we can try the spell" as she handed him the chalk.

"OK, so how many times am I supposed to write this?"

Yukari snickered at this, "until all the blackboards are filled in desu".

"What blackboards?" he then questioned. But then right before his eyes several blackboards began to materialize as they started to cover all the walls in the classroom. At the sight of them he dropped his chalk. "Are you serious?"

"Yep" she chimed. "Have fun with it" as she soon dragged Nyu away.

"I'll see you later Kohta-kun" as the ditzy girl waved to him.

Kohta could only scoff at the predicament he was stuck in. "Well I did ask for this" as he started to roll up his sleeves. "So let's get started". But the moment his chalk touched the board, a weird shine began to appear in his eyes.

* * *

~ Youkai Academy (café) ~

"Yukari-chan! It's not like that!" said Nyu blushing as she waved her hands frantically.

The young witch giggled at her reaction. "Are you sure?" she cooed. "He seems to fancy you a lot".

"Well Kohta-kun is a really nice person. He likes to help people whenever he can".

"Is that so?" as Yukari's eyes narrowed at this. "The way I see it, he acts way too lovey-dovey with you just to be friends".

At hearing this Nyu began to shrink a bit as her blush grew deeper at the implication. Yukari continued to poke fun as she laughed at her expense. "But seriously, what do you think of Kohta-san?"

"Kohta-kun?" as Nyu composed herself. "What do you mean?"

"Well like what do you really think of him and stuff like that? I know you must really like him in the way you let him so close to you like that".

Nyu blinked at this, but soon gave off a rather bright and sunny smile. "Yes, of course I like him!"

Yukari was surprised at her response. "_Now this is a development!_" as she grew excited at her answer. But now she was curious to how far she could refine it. "_I might be able to play match maker with them after all_", "can you elaborate further Nyu-san?"

The ditzy girl smiled fondly as she clasped her hands together bringing them close to her chest. "I'm not sure exactly how to explain it. But when I'm around him, I just know that everything is going to be alright".

"What do you mean by that Nyu-san?" as Yukari started to feel entranced by her story.

"Well do you believe in a fated meeting?"

"You mean like a Succubus destined mate?"

Nyu shook her head at this. "Not exactly . . . . . Well . . . . I guess in a way".

Yukari giggled at her fumbled response.

"I just know I was meant to meet Kohta-kun. But strangely . . . . it feels like I've already have".

" . . . . ?"

The ditzy girl smiled brightly once again. "It's like nostalgia. Like I've known him for years without even realizing it". She then chuckled as she scratched her cheek. "It's silly. This is all beginning to sound like a cheesy romance story".

"Not at all desu" chimed Yukari. "Just go with it. You might even get a boyfriend by the end of it".

Nyu blinked as she blushed at the thought. "_Me and Kohta-kun . . . ._" She then wiggled as she held her cheeks, "_that's just too silly_".

* * *

~ Youkai Academy (classroom) ~

"I wonder how Kohta-kun is doing?" as Nyu looked up in thought at this question.

"Hopefully close to finishing" said Yukari. "Let's hope he's not like some of the good nothing guys I know" as she thought to a particular werewolf.

"Don't worry, Kohta-kun is a really hard worker plus he's very smart. I'm sure he's finished by now" she smiled. As the two walked into the room they were surprised at what they found.

"This is . . . . " as the young witch looked around in awe, "incredible!". Amazement of what it was completely outweighed her disappointment in Kohta failing to do his task.

"What is it?" asked Nyu as she looked around confused. "I don't understand a single thing . . . ." as her eyes began to swirl in the amount of information written around her.

Yukari still looking giddy as she smiled deeply as she shrugged her shoulders. "I have no idea!"

". . . . huh?"

"I have no idea what it's for! But from what I'm reading so far everything is correct! This is at the level of a complete and utter genius!" She then turned to the boy, "Kohta-san! How are you doing all this?"

However the tanned youth didn't respond as he continued writing.

"Kohta-kun?" Nyu then walked up to him in concern as he looked at his face. Looking at him now, his face appeared completely blank as if in a trance as he continued his work. "Yukari-chan! What's wrong with him?"

The young witch waved her hand at his face. "Hmm . . . . I'm not sure. But it's almost like he's . . . . dreaming".

"Dreaming?" she then questioned. She then touched her chin in thought. Then deciding to go for it, Nyu attempted to telepathically link to him.

* * *

~ Inner World ~

Upon arrival Nyu was deeply confused at where she was. Although she was certain the connection was stable, everything was completely dark. It was so dark to the point she couldn't even see her hand in front of her. "But why is it like this?" as she looked around. "Kohta-kun! Kohta-kun!" she called out.

But no response came which really began to worry the ditzy girl.

Going against her gut feeling, she began to wander further in as she slowly took baby steps forward stretching her arms outward attempting to see if there was something in front of her. "What has happened? What is going on here?"

But soon she started to hear white noise as the sounds and pace began to pick up. "What is this? Why is it getting so loud?" She held her ears trying to deafen the sound, but was unable to as she soon dropped to her knees. "What is all this?"

Nyu then closed her eyes clamping them shut as she couldn't endure for one moment longer of the sounds.

Then everything went silent. At this occurrence she stood up opening her eyes putting her hands down as three words were now becoming clear to her.

"Please . . . . don't die . . . ."

Before she could make heads or tails of it, she was forcibly booted out as she found herself back in the physical world.

* * *

~ Youkai Academy (physical world) ~

Nyu shook her head as she looked at the tanned youth.

"Nyu-san, what did you see?"

"I don't know . . . . .It was dark then there were all these voices and . . . ."

"What's going on?"

The girls then looked to Kohta as it seemed he just finished whatever he was doing as he looked to them in curiosity.

"Kohta-kun, what were you doing?"

"And what is all this?" exclaimed Yukari. "This isn't what I told you to write!" to which her tone sounded more in appraisement then disappointment.

"What do you mean? I wrote exactly what you . . . ." as he looked around. " . . . . huh . . . . How did this happen?"

"You really love your jokes don't you Kohta-san. This kind of formula writing is brilliant! You must have had a great teacher to be able to do this!"

" . . . . Right" Kohta slurred. "A great teacher".

"Hey! Then have you been making fun of me all this time?" accused Yukari. "There's no way someone with this kind of knowledge would need my help to control magic!"

The tanned youth waved his hands at this. "No! It's not that!" He then scratched his head. "I just . . . . know some stuff. It's just my control isn't very good".

The young witch pouted at this, but soon gave a sigh. "Alright I'll forgive you for now and continue giving you control lessons. But in return . . . ." as her eyes shined in excitement, "please tell me what this formula is for?"

"Uhh . . . . Why?"

"Well I can translate some of it which seems to talk about . . . ." as she narrowed her eyes to read "anchoring something. But most of it I don't recognize".

Kohta began to sweat at the question until a certain idea came to mind. "Why not try translating it yourself?"

Yukari pouted at this. "That's very mean of you Kohta-san even when I'm taking the time to help you".

The tanned youth softly smiled at this. "But you're a very brilliant child. I have absolute confidence in your genius that you can do it". As far as he saw it, she was an adolescent eleven year old child. But her ego must have been something else as he speculated that she lacked the mental maturity to maintain humility in the reception of praise.

Just as he anticipated, "well when you put it like that" as Yukari held her chin in overconfidence. "I bet I can crack this formula in no time!"

"Well good luck with that" smiled Kohta.

"Then we'll continue our lesson another time" as the young witch soon left.

The pair then waved her off. As she exited Kohta and Nyu breathed out in relief.

"She's a really smart girl Kohta-kun. She'll find out eventually" said Nyu slightly worried.

"And when that day comes what am I supposed to tell her? Oh, I just a normal human with magical abilities who seems to know stuff I can't even recall". Kohta then let out a sigh. "This is all becoming way too complicated for me to deal with" as he then held his face tiredly. But then to his surprise felt his pink friend hug him from behind, "Nyu-san?"

"You'll be fine Kohta-kun. We'll figure this out together, OK"

Kohta smiled softly as he turned to see her reassuring smile. He then gave a solemn expression, "thank you Nyu-san for helping me through this".

"Sure!"

And so weeks began to pass as their days remained in relative peace for the pair, but unbeknownst to them their fates would soon become intertwined with another familiar group as their destiny together would continue on from there.

To be continued . . . .

* * *

Author's notes: I hope everyone liked this chapter as now they'll begin the next chapter in summer break where they'll meet yet another familiar character.

**Lord Shadowstorm** – Thanks for the beer, but I don't drink. But truthfully I didn't like the anime for R+V as it was just filled with fanservice without any real story development. So thank you for reading as well as your kind patronage in dropping in a critique.

**Balthier** – Yeah, Lucy and Kohta kicked their a**es good. So no back up for poor Kuyou *sob*. So thank you for reading as well as your kind patronage in dropping in a critique.

**TheWatcher2785** – You'll see don't worry. I have something big planned for that. So thank you for reading as well as your kind patronage in dropping in a critique.

**Vaan** – Alright and thank you for reading as well as your kind patronage in dropping in a critque.

**NANLIT** – Well I'd like for Kohta and Nyu/Lucy to have their own adventure as much as possible. Besides when I read some of the chapters from R+V I can only wonder at times about certain plot holes that left me wondering about why certain things didn't happen. So thank you for reading as well as your kind patronage in dropping in a critique.

So I would like to thank you all for reading this fic and I further extend my gratitude if you can review it as well.


	10. Sunflower Colored Summer Break

Rosario to Elf

Disclaimer: I do not own Elfen Lied, Rosario + Vampire, or any characters associated with either of the series.

"talking"

_thoughts_

* * *

Sunflower Colored Summer Break

* * *

Kohta waited in the forest nearby the dorms as he checked his watch. Growing slightly impatient he began tapping his foot. "At this rate we are going to be late". He then looked up, "Nyu-san, where are you?"

But truthfully he was actually irritated in being dropped at this last minute notification. Although he couldn't complain, considering his situation.

At that he could only sigh, "Well at least it would be good to see home again".

* * *

~ Flashback ~

Three days earlier a meeting was called for the photography club as Kohta and Nyu met with their club advisor Kodo-sensei.

"What wrong sensei?" asked Nyu. "Your letter sounded rather urgent".

"Well" as their teacher looked to them rather grimly. "The newspaper club just decided at the last minute to do a summer project in the human world to investigate the inner workings of human society. So as the photography club, it's your responsibility to accompany them along the way".

"But sensei" then said Kohta. "Isn't it forbidden for us to go to human world during our time here?"

"Not exactly, so long as you get special permission by your teachers it's allowed".

The tanned youth looked in surprise to this. "_. . . . A chance to return to the human world_".

"But sensei" then asked Nyu. "Is there anything else we should know?"

Kodo scratched her cheek as she thought carefully about this. "Well during your time in human world you'll be under Nekonome-sensei's supervision as you'll be working closely with the newspaper club to get their scoop".

"But sensei" then said Kohta. "Why aren't you coming along? Aren't you mandated to come along as well?"

The fox like teacher choked a bit as if caught red handed about something. "Well I kind of . . . . had other arrangements that needed attending too which requires my highest and utmost attention. So if you'll excuse me I have to go now" as she soon made a hasty retreat.

Kohta and Nyu could only stare as it was plainly obvious she was just trying to weasel her way out of her duties.

~ End Flashback ~

* * *

As things went he learned that their trip was going to Yokohama. After the accident with his father and sister, he came to live with his cousin Yuka. At that thought, he remembered how teary eyed she became at hearing him leave to some unknown school to god knows where.

Kohta gave a slight chuckle at this. "I wonder if I'll have time to see Yuka when I get there". But before his thoughts could delve any further, he felt himself get pulled into a hug from behind.

"Good morning Kohta-kun! I hope you had a good rest!" shouted Nyu in her usually happy demeanor.

"Good morning Nyu-san" smiled Kohta. "We're going to human world, are you ready?"

The ditzy girl gave a careful nod. "Yes, I'm ready".

The tanned youth nodded in acknowledgment to this. Nyu still had her fears, doubts, and detests for human kind. But after much talking they came to a compromise.

". . . . So do you promise you won't leave my side while we're there?" she asked childishly.

"Of course, I won't leave your side for the entirety of this trip".

"Thank you!" she then chirped as she jumped on him once again for another hug.

They then departed as they made their way to the bus stop. Along the way the pair shared many pleasantries between each other.

Upon arrival to the road side, they came to see a very familiar group of people.

"Hey aren't you . . . ." as Kohta thought about it. "Tsukune-san?"

The meek boy looked surprised at the question as he pointed at him. "Hey you're that guy I've talked too, Kohta-san right?"

"Yeah, so you're part of the newspaper club huh? I guess you weren't kidding about the whole death sentence thing you were talking about that day" which caused Tsukune to laugh nervously about. "But to think you were a vampire, you really had nothing to worry about". In researching thus far, vampires were renowned for their beauty, grace, and supreme strength. But oddly to say, putting the pieces together from what he knew Tsukune was the vampire who beat Kuyou of the police commission and Rikiishi of the wrestling club. But if his perception was right, he didn't even feel that strong. However that could have easily been explained as his powers were being suppressed by some sort of sealing artifact like Nyu's bracelet.

Tsukune gave a nervous laugh at the question. "Yes, of course".

Yukari then stepped forward. "Strange, I could have sworn that I introduced our group to you". She then gave a slight shrug as she started pointing everyone out. She first noted the blue haired girl with the overly well endowed chest. "This person here is Korono Kurumu, she's usually responsible for the culture sections of our paper. By the way," as she leaned in as if whispering. "She's a succubus. So be careful in not letting your guard down when you're around her Kohta-san. Although she may have an ample chest, she is actually a really dumb person".

"Hey!"

The young witch snickered at this. "Moving along as I see you've met before is Aono Tsukune. He's a real average guy. But he makes up for it for being a very nice person".

"Hi" to which he waved.

"And this in the crown jewel of our academy, the number one beauty queen herself, the radiant one who stands above all else Akashiya Moka!" as Yukari glomped her in the process. "And she's a vampire so don't even think about messing with her".

"It's a pleasure meeting you" she politely bowed.

"Well there is also Gin-sempai, but he wasn't able to make it on account from doing so poorly on his tests" which caused Kurumu to flinch as she had also failed her exams, but was cutting summer courses just to stay with Tsukune. Yukari then leaned towards Nyu, "but if you ever meet him just make sure to keep a safe distance as he is actually a very perverted werewolf who can't keep his hands to himself when it comes to girls". At that statement the group shared a laugh at his expense.

"Well I'm Hisashi Kohta, I'm part of the photography club which will be accompanying you along this trip".

"Hello! I'm Hikaru Nyu and I hope we can all be good friends!" in response the newspaper club returned their greetings.

"_So these are the people I keep hearing about_" thought Kohta as he looked to the pair in front of him. By appearance, Tsukune was indeed quite average from what he could see. True to Yukari's word, he seemed to be a rather nice guy. Then looking over to Moka, her beauty was not the least bit exaggerated. In every way she had many similarities to his friend Nyu aside from a slightly different hair style and emerald colored eyes. But looking closely at her, she too also wore some sort of seal in the form of a black choker with a silver crucifix decorated with a ruby eye. Just being this close to her, Kohta could tell something very big existed inside of her.

Nyu politely greeted each of them. But upon laying her eyes on Moka, something caught her attention as a sheepish smile began to form.

Moka looked back curious to her behavior. "Is there something wrong Nyu-san?"

Then without warning the ditzy girl grabbed her chest which caused everyone to jump at this action. "Wow, Yukari-chan was right! Your boobs are great".

At this action there was a mixture of reactions to what they saw.

Kurumu slightly laughed at the situation.

Yukari could only snicker and blush at what they were doing as her young mind went wild with fantasies.

Tsukune almost had an instant nosebleed in watching the exchange.

Moka felt mortified at being felt up like that.

Nyu was now getting a bit too carried away with what she was doing.

And Kohta . . . . well he could only sigh as he face palmed himself at what he was witnessing. Not only did he just probably add another volume to 'that' particular book. But his pink friend was being strange again. He was vaguely aware of the perverted tendencies Nyu had. However it was her life and he had no business telling her how to live it. But in this particular case, "Nyu-san, please stop. We have to work with them for the next few days".

The ditzy girl turned back with a smile. "Then what better way to bond, right?" said Nyu as her eyes twinkled while she continued her groping session.

". . . ." as Kohta could only sigh at this. "_This is going to be a long event_".

But unknown to anyone the green jewel on Nyu's bracelet gleamed as did Moka's red jewel as if they were looking at each other.

* * *

~ Unknown place, Unknown time ~

At this time both clubs were on board the bus heading through some sort of fourth dimensional transit system. Apparently this transportation method allowed students from all over the world to attend Youkai Academy and in reverse go anywhere in the world.

Now both groups were sitting peacefully with each other as they talked about whatever they can think about as they recollected all the times they had indirect contact.

But then to the corner of his eye, Kohta noticed Yukari to be quite troubled about something. He then looked to the other newspaper club members, "What's wrong with Yukari-chan?"

"Ahh she's just being a scared little child" said Kurumu half bored. "This is going to be her first time in a human city".

Kohta then looked to all of them. "But aren't any of you worried? This is your first time going into the human world . . . . right?"

Kurumu shrugged at this. "I think it'll be a very interesting event. Plus anywhere Tsukune goes, I go as well" to which she hugged the meek boy from behind which earned slight jealousy from Moka.

The pink vampire immediately corrected herself. "Well I am wary, but . . . ." as he looked to Tsukune. "I think everything will be alright".

"Umm" the boy started. "I'm used to live in the human world".

Kohta blinked at this. Hearing that statement he was both surprised and skeptic about his answer. He did believe what he said, it was just . . . . something was off about it. He then looked back to Yukari. "Is it because she always lived in the monster world that she is so worried?"

"Actually it's a bit more complicated than that" explained Kurumu. "As it all starts back to the witch hunts in the human world".

At hearing that, neither Kohta nor Nyu needed to hear anymore. They knew the history behind the great witch hunts that took place during the seventeen hundreds all around the world. But for Kohta, this at first was just stories of radical superstition by a bunch of foolish humans. In learning that the supernatural existed, he felt sympathy for them. By his perception a good deal of them probably never deserved the horrid fates they were subjugated too. But to make matters even worse for witches was that they were also persecuted by the demons because they looked like humans. At this thought Kohta could only internally sigh at this. As much hate that existed between humans and demons they sure did share a bunch of similarities of always fighting and hating over such trivial stuff.

"Do you think we should talk to her?" asked Nyu.

The newspaper club could only nod at this. "But considering her circumstance . . . . it's rather difficult".

But before anyone could utter another word, light permeated through the windows as the bus left the tunnel as now they were in the human world. As they looked outside everyone's eyes widened in awe at the extraordinary things they were seeing. But after a good twenty minutes they appeared to have been driving up a mountain as they were soon kicked off the bus to see a wide and far sunflower garden.

"Wow! A sunflower garden!" said Kurumu excitedly as she latched onto Tsukune.

"It's beautiful! Is this where we are staying?" asked Moka. "I didn't even know they had places like this in the human world".

"Pretty!" as Nyu's eyes shined in awe.

"This is totally a different spot then what we planned huh?"

Everyone looked back to the bus driver to see him giving his usual creepy smile. ". . . . Huh?"

"Well I thought we should stop by this spot for a bit. Currently this is a very well known spot in the human world".

"Well known? For the sunflowers right?"

"Negative" he half-chuckled. "For it being a mysterious spot where one person after another has been spirited away" which caused everyone to gape at this bit of news. "Don't you think that being spirited away in this day and age is quite poetic" as he gave off one of his creepy smiles.

"That's why you brought us here?" exclaimed Tsukune as he looked visibly shaken.

"You best read the local newspaper for the details" as the bus driver handed the group a newspaper. "Well you guys better be plenty careful at not getting spirited away".

"What? Why?"

And ignoring Tsukune's question entirely, "well Nekonome-sensei why don't we go eat out? I'll treat you to some yummy fish" to which the cat like teacher's feline ears popped out as she was right on board as their supervising adults soon jumped back onto the bus and drove off.

In staring at the leaving bus, ". . . . I think we've just been ditched" said Kohta as soon everyone agreed.

"Why are you leaving?" panicked Tsukune. "Wait! Don't leave us behind!"

At this realization Yukari began to panic which started to get to everyone. However, a strange growling sound became apparent as the group retreated to a cabin nearby. They soon began to brain storm what was going on as Tsukune remembered the newspaper. So bringing it out Moka, Kurumu, and Yukari grouped close to him to read. Kohta and Nyu stood aside as they chuckled at seeing how visibly embarrassed the meek boy was getting.

However the group soon realized that they were dropped there for a reason. At this epiphany Yukari started to get scared, but Kurumu dismissed it as her just being childish. With this hurtful statement the young witch dashed out running away from them, but not before sticking an iron tarot card into the blue succubus's forehead.

At this act the group feverishly searched for her. Then after half an hour they found her extremely exhausted lying around multiple bodies of sliced up plant monsters.

However the group was more relieved to see she was OK. But as Kohta and Nyu looked around they couldn't help but wonder, what on Earth was going on here?

* * *

~ Unknown place, Unknown time ~

"A witch? A witch on my hill?" asked an elderly voice. At this time two figures were present in an isolated house as they conversed amongst themselves.

"Yes Yukata-sama" replied the teenage looking figure. "Despite her youth she possesses quite strong magic". The figure paused for a moment to collect herself. "That witch completely destroyed the magic plants that were entrusted to guard our priceless sunflower field".

The other figure chuckled ominously at this. "Well well, how many years has it been since we've seen another witch? We must welcome her as she is of our blood".

* * *

~ Sunflower Field ~

After things calmed down the group learned that Yukari risked her life to save two of the locals. From them they learned of the strange things that have been going on. But after some more exchanges in dialogue they decided it was best they left for now.

"Then shall we leave and go to town where our motel is located?" suggested Moka. "We might even bump into Nekonome-sensei to which we should report everything that happened".

"We're close to town" said the young local girl.

"And we could probably give you a ride there" then continued the elder local woman. "But . . . ." as she scanned the group, "I don't think I have enough room for all of you in my car".

The two clubs looked at each other before looking back. "I know a way we can save room!" chimed Nyu as she raised her hand. "I'll just sit on Kohta-kun's lap to free up an extra seat".

Kohta blushed at the suggestion.

"How daring" smirked Kurumu. She then turned back to the group. "I'll sit on Tsukune's lap too if things get too cramped!"

" . . . . No . . . . No, it's quite alright" the tanned youth waved.

"What do you mean?" asked Yukari.

"Well since we're already on the outskirts of the field I don't mind walking back".

"You can't go alone" then said Moka. "It might be dangerous".

"Then I'll go with him" smiled Nyu.

"Wait, are you sure?"

"Yep" she then chimed. "I don't mind walking back with Kohta-kun. So don't worry we'll be fine".

The newspaper club looked at each other as they hesitantly agreed to this. Then after jumping into the car, the pair was alone as they drove off.

Kohta gave a small smile as he took a deep breath as he exhaled. "It's good to be home again".

"So you live around here Kohta-kun?"

"Yeah, I came to live here after certain turn of events". The tanned youth then gave a soft chuckle. "Heck, I might even run into my cousin if I'm lucky".

"Of course" smiled Nyu. She then looked around, "but where exactly are we supposed to go?"

Just as Kohta opened his mouth, he fell silent as truthfully " . . . . I honestly have no idea".

"Huh? But I thought you lived around here!"

"Well I've never been this far out before!"

With that statement the pair began to panic. But they soon saw a human like shadow cover them as they looked to the tree to where it originated from. At looking, they saw a teenage girl who seemed to have been dressing like a Goth as she appeared to have been looking at them.

"I think I'll ask her for directions" said Kohta as he approached the strange looking girl. "Umm, excuse me do you know which way it is that leads into town?"

The Goth then appeared to have been glaring at him as she waved her strange stick at him.

Kohta looked at this act strangely. "OK, so am I supposed to go that way?" as he pointed to where the stick was pointing.

The Goth looked to him curiously as she repeated the motion she just did.

"OK, so that way" pointed Kohta. He then looked to Nyu. "Alright town is this way Nyu-san!" He then looked back to the strange girl. "Well thanks for the directions" as he departed.

The Goth repeated her action again and at noting nothing was happening she looked to her wand to see if there were any damages. Then looking back to the boy her eyebrow perched in curiosity, "why didn't my spell work on him?" She soon waved her head at this. "I'm first to accomplish my mission as master wants me to go acquire her". With that statement her body began to grow smaller as it started to transform into a crow as she soon flew away.

Kohta and Nyu were now walking side by side down the mountain. After some time they saw civilization as the city was now in sight. Seeing as they still had time to spare Kohta decided to spark a conversation with his pink friend.

"By the way, my cousin's name is Yuka. Her family owns a few properties in the area. But the likelihood of bumping into her is not very high as she usually tends to be very busy with other things. Looking to his friend now, "Where did you use to live? You did say that you use to live in human world before right?"

The ditzy girl nodded to this. "Yes, actually I lived right here in Japan too. Before coming to Youkai Academy I was living with my okaasan in Kamakura". She smiled as she thought of something. "Okaasan . . . ."

Kohta smiled softly at this until something peculiar just occurred to him. "Nyu-san, you said that you were the only one of your kind, right?"

Nyu nodded to this. "Yes".

"Then what about your mother? Isn't she supposed to be a diclonius as well?"

The ditzy girl blinked at this before giving a soft smile. "No, okaasan is a pure human. But she is special".

"Huh?" as Kohta was now getting confused. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Just as I said" she smiled. "Okaasan is human. But she was born with a very unique body. In turn it gave birth to me".

The tanned youth was now getting more confused. "OK . . . . So what about your father?"

"Tousan?" questioned Nyu. She then placed her finger to her lip as she thought about it. "I've never known him. Okaasan never tells me anything about him".

At that statement, "_could Nyu-san's father be the demon? Is that why her mother won't tell her about him?_" he then shook his head as there was no point in assuming as she herself didn't really know anything about it.

But after a while it soon started to get dark as they arrived in the city. As they navigated around they didn't appear to be getting any closer to where they should be as the newspaper club probably was already at their motel.

After some more wandering they came about some blind luck at the newspaper club was right there at the bus stop. But then they noticed the extra occupant.

"Who is she?" asked Kohta as he pointed to the said girl.

The newspaper club looked at each other before looking back at them. "Well . . . ." started Yukari, "this is Ruby-san. She's a witch . . . ." as she paused for a moment "that attacked us not so long".

"Attacked! Are you guys OK!"

"Yes we're fine" half-chuckled Tsukune as he flinched a bit in pain. "Only got some minor injuries" although Moka, Kurumu, and Yukari knew otherwise as the damage he sustained should have killed him.

"Kohta-kun" as Nyu was now face to face with the girl. "Doesn't she seem familiar?"

The tanned youth took a closer looked as his face stretched in realization. "Hey! She's the girl that guided us here!"

"What?" said Kurumu. "That seems unlikely. She attacked us for no reason whatsoever".

Kohta scratched his cheek. "Hmm, well there is no point in debating until she wakes up".

Almost right on cue their supervising teacher arrived carrying boxes of raw fish. As they looked to her it was quite apparent that she completely forgot about them.

* * *

~ Inn ~ (late evening)

"Where am I?" demanded Ruby as she soon awoken for her rest. At this time the group was in their motel room as they were caring for her.

"Ahh, you're awake" smiled Tsukune. "But you shouldn't move yet as you're still injured".

Ruby looked to them strangely as she was confused about her current circumstance. "_Is this a dream? But I remember trying to kill them, but they defeated me instead_". It was usual for the enemy to be caring for you. So she decided to be as calm as possible as she analyzed the situation. "Where am I? and who are you people?"

The meek boy looked to Kohta before looking back to the Goth witch. "I'm Aono Tsukune. Well, what am I?" he said hesitantly. "I'm just a human".

Kohta's and Nyu's eyes widened at this statement.

"Tsukune-san?"

"Don't worry, I believe we can trust them".

The tanned youth gave him a quizzical look, "_. . . . Maybe he's like me. I'll need to talk to him later_".

"Well we came here as part of an extracurricular activity for our school and at the moment we are staying here at this motel".

Ruby's face reflected disbelief at what she was hearing. "Human? There's no way a human can defeat a witch like me!"

"But I'm not kidding" as Tsukune waved his hands innocently. "I was just borrowing the powers of an ayashi".

"An ayashi?"

". . . . Well you see this is what's going on. I'm human".

"I'm a witch" said Yukari.

"We're ayashi" said Moka, Kurumu, and Nyu.

"And I'm just weird" said Kohta as he passed this one off as a joke.

Ruby's eyes widened at this as it soon turned into a glare. She soon grabbed Tsukune by the collar. "Stop joking around! There's no way a witch can be friends with a human let alone an ayashi". The meek boy flinched as she immediately realized that he was still hurting from the injury she dealt his earlier. "_Is that the wound where I sliced you?_" She then got back into her glare, "but why did you help me? I tried to kill you back there. Don't you people hate me?"

Tsukune paused to collect his thoughts. ". . . . It's obvious isn't it? We don't need to have a reason to help somebody. Besides I went overboard and attacked you there". He then looked up with a soft smile. "Knowing Ruby-san is a girl . . . . I am really sorry".

Ruby gave a slight blush as she looked away. It was apparent that she was charmed by him as everyone could easily see it.

Outside the room, the bus driver and Nekonome were quietly listening in. However the enigmatic driver knew much more then what he was letting on as he suggested the possibility that they might need to get back-up for what is about to occur, but then Nekonome being the person she was, was more focused in eating her fish than anything else to listen.

In was then later that evening that Kohta dragged Tsukune away from everyone else as he wished to talk to him. So going out to the deserted porch, they both leaned against the railing as they looked out to the night sky. "So you're human, right Tsukune-san?"

"Yeah" he responded as calmly as possible. " . . . . Is that a problem?"

"No" answered Kohta. The tanned youth quietly contemplated what he wanted to say next. "Because actually . . . . I'm human too".

Tsukune then looked to him in complete surprise at his answer. "What? So there were other humans at the academy too!"

Kohta slowly shook his head at this. "Well . . . . I think I am human".

The meek boy looked to him confused as he didn't understand what he was talking about.

"I lived here in human world for all my life and I never once exhibited anything that could be considered extraordinary. But once I came to the academy . . . . that's when things changed as I started doing things I never could even imagine".

". . . . Then what are you exactly?"

"That's the question" as Kohta looked down slightly depressed. "When I heard that you were also human that exhibited ayashi abilities, I thought maybe you were something like me. But I guess not".

"Well to be truthful" as Tsukune gave a slight chuckle. "I wasn't supposed to be able to use ayashi abilities. I mean on a statistical chance I was that one in a million possibility of it working as it was actually supposed to kill me" to which he explained his story up to the point of receiving Moka's blood.

Kohta chuckled at this. "Well I guess that makes us some very odd humans then huh?"

"Well I hope you find your answer Kohta-san" to which the boys then shared another laugh. Before long they went back to their room to rest for the coming day.

* * *

~ Inn ~ (the next day)

The atmosphere had definitely risen amongst the group as Yukari was getting the hang of a human city as she was ecstatic in going to a place known as the supermarket.

However Ruby's couldn't tolerate what she was seeing. In front of her was a direct contradiction for everything she believed to be true about witches, humans, and demons. But what amazed everyone was Tsukune's relentless tenacity in trying to befriend the girl to which everyone could visibly see how troubled she was. But it soon became clear that her and her master's plan were in effect as the monsters that Yukari defeated a day ago were soon going to descend from the mountains in hoards as they would turn the city into ruins. But in trying to learn more, it was pointless to try pushing any further.

So retiring for the day, they all slept but were soon disturbed by Tsukune as he notified everyone that Yukari and Ruby were gone. Quietly as they looked around, they found both witches discussing amongst themselves about the world around them. In listening they understood the root of why Ruby hated humans so much. It was the humans that killed her parents in a rather unfortunate drunk driving accident. As the Goth witch quietly sobbed, she relayed her desire that she wished to have met good people like them sooner. Ruby soon broke out into a run running right past them leaving the inn as she grew wings and soon flew off. As they watched her leave they couldn't help but feel sympathy for her plight.

The group soon reconvened inside as they were at a loss at what they should do next.

"Ruby-san . . . . I thought we could be friends" said Yukari sadly. "But she just ran off like that" to which everyone looked down in depression too.

"Heh heh, is this what you want? If you let it be, she going to end up killing more people".

Everyone then turned to see the bus driver enter with his usual mysterious aura.

"The mastermind is finally taking their action. I'm guessing they are going to be bringing an army to which that includes that girl Ruby. She is going to kill everyone human here just to protect that ranch".

The group looked in shock to this. "How do you know this?"

"So what are you going to do? The relationship between humans and witches run deeper then you think. Do you really think you can stop them knowing this?"

Silence permeated as they understood what was at stake. Whatever they did could mean terrible consequences in the future. But, "we know where they live" said Tsukune. "Let's go and bring back Ruby-san".

"Tsukune-san?"

"I truly understand why Ruby-san would hate the humans. But we can't just sit here, a massacre between both sides won't solve anything". He closed his eyes before reopening them exerting a greater resolve. "Let's go back once more to the withes ranch where the sunflowers are grown".

"Then count us in too!" said Kohta as he stood up.

"Yeah!" said Nyu as she looked pumped.

"But you shouldn't get involved like this . . . ."

Kohta adamantly shook his head. "This city is my home and I can't just let it be destroyed. So I'm going to do everything that I can to protect it!" and with that everyone nodded as they stood up.

"Well I see everyone has made their decision. So why don't I just give you a lift there".

Once everyone got dressed in their normal attire they were off like a bat out of hell in the bus as their driver was driving like a maniac down the streets. However time was of the essence as they didn't have time to wait any longer. As the bus raced up the mountain side, it soon hit a rocky ramp as the vehicle flew for a couple of feet landing near the garden.

"We got here pretty quickly didn't we?" chuckled the bus driver.

"You call yourself a bus driver! That was insane! I thought I was almost going to die!" said Yukari.

The group soon shuffled out as they came face to face with Ruby and her master as they appeared to have been having an argument. But looking at the older witch, she made it no point to hide her power as the group felt how immensely strong she was. However this was a battle they could not afford to lose. As they stood bravely before this fierce enemy, they steeled themselves for whatever would happen next.

To be continued . . . .

* * *

Author's notes: This is another chapter to which I hope you all enjoyed.

**Lord Shadowstorm** – Both yes and no. But here is a clue, for Kohta is something both feared and revered in ages past. But what he is will be revealed a bit later in the story. So thank you for reading as well as your kind patronage in dropping in a critique.

**NANLIT** – Well I will say that formula will be important later in the story. So thank you for reading as well as your kind patronage in dropping in a critique.

**TheWatcher2785** – Oh I have something fun planned for that so just wait and see. So thank you for reading as well as your kind patronage in dropping in a critique.

**Balthier** – Yep, so thank you for reading as well as your kind patronage in dropping in a critique.

So I would like to thank you all for reading this fic and I further extend my gratitude if you can review it as well.


	11. Witch's Ranch

Rosario to Elf

Disclaimer: I do not own Elfen Lied, Rosario + Vampire, or any characters associated with either of the series.

"talking"

_thoughts_

* * *

Witch's Ranch

* * *

"Look's like we've got a fight on our hands" as Kohta prepared himself for the inevitable.

Pleas for peace quickly fell through as the master of the ranch Yukata did not wish to hear any of it. The only peace she desired was the complete destruction of humankind as she would show them the same courtesy they did for the witch race hundreds of years ago.

This being the case, their group was the only thing standing between the demon army and the city below. So everyone had no choice but to fight as plant monsters ranging in the thousands began sprouting from the ground as they rallied around their master.

At the sight of this, the two clubs readied themselves for battle.

"You've got to be kidding!" said Kurumu as she started to convert to her demon form as her nails and ears became elongated while her tail and wings sprouted. "We can't possibly stand a chance with these kinds of odds!"

"We have to try" then said Yukari as she pulled out several iron tarot cards. "We can't allow something like this to occur".

"If this happens then there will be no going back for either human or monster" said Moka.

"That's right! We have to make our stand here because the future is depending on us!" exclaimed Tsukune.

"This is my home and I won't let you destroy it!" said Kohta.

"And that's why we'll fight!" said Nyu.

Taking their cues, the boys released their partners as a double unsealing occurred as Moka became her inner vampire self and Nyu became Lucy.

Yukata slightly flinched back at feeling the immense power the two girls were outputting. "_._ _. . . This battle might take longer then I predicted_".

Moka and Lucy looked at each other in their usual cold indifference.

"Just don't get in my way" said the vampire as she stared out to the opposing force before them.

"Funny" she replied. "I was just about to tell you the same thing". Lucy then looked back to Kohta from the corner of her eye. "You stay behind and protect them" noting Tsukune and the injured Ruby. "Besides you're better off as our support anyways".

The tanned youth nodded as the girls took the front lines as he covered their backs with Tsukune right behind him.

"Damn it" said Tsukune. "Not to even have power to stop this or protect my friends" as his face tightened in anguish.

" . . . . I'm so sorry this had to happen" as Ruby bit her lower lip.

"Enough" calmly said Kohta. "You tried your best to convince her to change her mind with your noble spirit. But don't let yourself get discouraged. There are just some things you can do" to which he looked to all the girls in front of him "and then there are some things we can do".

"Kohta!" then called Lucy. "Make yourself useful and use some support magic because the way things are looking" as the horned girl looked out to the odds they were up against. "Things are going to get pretty ugly . . . ."

Kohta nodded to this. He did have good offensive spells, and he did learn quite a few over the weeks prior to this battle. However his abilities were more tuned to fighting one at a time. Although he had his unusual aptitude in fighting, considering the situation he needed to stay back to protect those who couldn't fight. Since this was the case, he was also equipped to support the main fighters as he had just the right spells to do so.

Just like that the girls began the colossal clash to which each of them was performing rather well.

Kurumu's razor sharp nails easily carved through her opponents as they came at her.

Yukari's attacks were fairing well as her iron tarot cards were cutting through the opposition.

Moka's vampire strength exploded each monster she hit.

Lucy's psychic vectors were easily cutting down ten of them at a time for each swing she made. In this particular case, her abilities were well suited for this fight. Since they were so clustered together, she was cleaning up the problem far better than everyone else.

Yukari was getting really tired from exerting herself as she was using the best offensive spell she knew. After taking down quite a few of them, she was feeling the stress it was causing her. Due to this minor distraction she was caught off guard at an incoming attack. As multiple plant monsters were about to gouge into her, a multi-hexagonal bubble shield formed around her stopping the attack leaving the young witch unscathed.

"Thanks for the help!" as Yukari got back to the fight.

"No problem!"

Kurumu was now drenched in sweat as she was growing exhausted from fighting so long. She felt her knees about to buckle from right underneath her. At feeling herself about to fall in battle, strength returned to her body as she felt ready to go again at feeling the faint warm glow around her.

"Alright! Thanks for the lift!" said Kurumu as the blue succubus was carving through her targets once again.

Kohta nodded as his healing spell was effective in bringing her strength back up again.

Now looking over to Moka and his friend Lucy, they appeared to be not having much trouble as neither had broken a sweat after how long they've been fighting. However he could see that his horned was getting a head of herself as she was moping the floor with any target inside her strike zone.

After a while some of the monsters began to wise up as they stood exactly outside her attack radius. At seeing this, Lucy was forced to change her strategy. So using her vectors, she began to pick up whatever she could as she began launching them skewering at least five of them with every shot. But it wasn't enough as she needed to deal with them faster. So this being the case, she charged at them cutting up whoever just happened to be in the way.

Although it looked like they were winning, it was quite the opposite. The fact still remained it was four girls versus an army of undeterminable size as they saw no end to them. Even though they were better than their opponents they were still many. If the battle didn't kill them, then exhaustion will.

Even Kohta was feeling it as his stamina was slipping away at how many defensive and support spells he had used.

Slowly the girls began losing ground as they were forced back to him as fatigue began taking its toll.

"Damn it" as Lucy winced. The mental stress of using her powers excessively began to hurt as she really needed to take a break now.

"This is starting to get rather annoying" breathed out Moka.

"Come on! Is there an end to this?" said Yukari.

"Fu fu fu" chuckled Yukata. "I believe your end will come soon now"

"You coward!" called out Kurumu. "Come out and fight us yourself!"

The silver haired vampire and the pink diclonius looked at each other.

" _. . . . I have a plan. Are you willing to cooperate?_"

Moka winced a bit at the connection. "_Telepathy? That's a useful trick. But what do you have in mind?_"

Lucy grinned at this. She then psychically told her the plan about how she planned to end this.

"_Interesting, you just better be able to hold up your end_".

"_Just make sure not to fall behind_".

"Lucy-san?" as Kohta saw that Moka and his horned friend seemed to have been up to something. But then a moment later they were off as they ran towards the enemy specially charging at Yukata who was surrounded by several of her minions.

Lucy then took the lead as Moka ran right behind her.

"You ready?"

"Just don't mess up!"

Using her vectors, the horned girl rammed her psychic hands against them as she started to pile drive through the plant monsters as they started to stack in front of her in a kind of odd ball.

"What are they up too?" questioned Yukata as she was the least impressed as they charged towards her.

Then at the right moment, "Now!" as Lucy launched the stack upwards as Moka jumped up onto her shoulders thrusting herself up catching up to the stack as she then kicked it right at Yukata like a massive soccer ball.

"What a foolish tactic" as the elder witch had them disperse right before her. But that's when she saw it as the silver haired vampire came flying in right behind it.

"Of course, that was the distraction" as Moka landed one of her devastating kicks which sent Yukata flying. "More blood rather than explanation. This is what you wanted right?"

But then to everyone's surprise, the elder witch started to get up again. "Do not take me lightly little girl" as she then slammed her hand on her book as an ominous light began to shine.

Moka and Lucy eyes widened at the sudden outburst of power.

Ruby seeing what the spell was instantly reacted to it, "No! My master is using that spell!"

The plant monsters then took notice of this as they started to gather around their master. As this was occurring, "I have lived for a hundred years. Through years of experience, I'll show you my true magical strength. I'll make you regret for making me serious!"

"This is a joke right?"

"Tsk, she won't understand till she's dead will she . . . ."

"No master! Don't!"

" . . . . Ruby . . . . I can no longer go back now". Just like that the monsters began to merge together with Yukata as the core as they grew bigger and bigger until they appeared as a giant amalgam of that same plant monster. Moving quickly the two clubs ran in order to not be crushed under the monstrous colossus. "Heh heh, impressive isn't it? You don't look so good anymore against my century's worth of experience and power!" as she made a monstrous roar of laughter. "Let's cleanse this world of the human plague!"

"No . . . ."

Everyone then looked to see Ruby high in the sky as she attempted to quell her master's rage.

"Please mistress Yukata! Stop this! There is no need to do this anymore!"

"Get back" said Moka as she began approaching once again.

"Moka!"

"That goes for you too Tsukune. Don't interfere . . . ."

Yukata smirked arrogantly at the approaching vampire. "Are you serious? Do you honestly intend to walk right into the lion's den?"

" . . . . As I said . . . . I prefer bloodshed to long speeches. So don't comeback complaining when you die".

"Well said" remarked Lucy as she stood by the vampire's side. For it was also in her nature to seek blood over peace any day.

"Lucy-san!"

"Enough Kohta!" said Lucy sharply. "Moka's right. The only way she'll stop is if she dead, and I fully intend to do just that".

"Enough" as Yukata sent out two tendrils attacking both girls.

" _. . . . Too heavy_" as Lucy's vectors were unable to even slow down as attack.

"_What strength_" as Moka arrogantly believed she could take it only to be forced aside.

"Fascinating" chuckled Yukata. "Still alive even after taking such attacks like that". Both girls then stood up keeping their eyes focused. "I see now, a vampire and the rumored diclonius currently around. Two beings of blood lust with incredible powers huh?" She then licked her lips in delight. "How tempting, I'll absorb you both and seize your powers for myself".

Both girls growing irritated dashed forward as if in a choreographed sync as they zigzagged towards the elder witch making certain Yukata could get a clean target on them. So Moka using her incredible strength and Lucy using her psychic hands launched upwards intending to finish this.

"You can get as big and as repulsive as you wish" said Moka. "It won't change anything for me"

"So die already" then said Lucy as both combatants landed their attack on her. Upon connecting everyone felt the Earth shake beneath them at the combined attack between the vampire and diclonius. At thinking it was over, several plant vines shot out capturing them both immobilizing their movements.

"Fu fu fu, I've caught you".

Both girls looked in disbelief at seeing how ineffective their attacks were.

"_What the hell is up with her body?_" thought Lucy. "_It was as if there was no substance behind it . . . ._ " Looking at Yukata, her body appeared mangled by the attack. However her smirk said otherwise as she looked back to them as if she had already won. "_What is her secret?_"

"It's barely a mosquito bite on the back of my neck" as her body started to snap back into place. "I think you two got a little ahead of yourselves" she chuckled. "I didn't just change size, but I also increased my strength. So let me show you". Vine like tendrils then pierced the both of them digging under their skin squirming through like a parasite as it dug further under their flesh.

Both girls were in incredible pain as it felt like their lives were being sucked out of them.

"You didn't believe me when I told you I was going to take all your power? With my current ability, I can fuse with an unlimited number of beings and absorb their strength. It's the very purpose of the ultimate fusion technique". As their blood started to be absorbed, "Yes . . . . yes, I can feel your powers. It's incredible. I will soon become the strongest being of the three worlds!"

Both girls winced in pain as they didn't know how much more they can endure of this.

" _. . . . Can't focus my vectors . . . . too much pain . . . ._" thought Lucy as she felt this was mostly likely it for both her and Moka. As more tendrils came to eat them, someone very unlikely showed up.

"Stop it mistress Yukata!" Just like that Ruby took the hit destroying her wand in the process. But with the last of her strength, she cut down both girls freeing them.

Yukata looked in shock to what had happened. ". . . . Ruby . . . . Why? Why do you keep going against my will? We had always walked together till this day. You were so faithful you never went against my teachings . . . . "

" . . . . Mistress . . . . please . . . . Let go of your anger . . . . " The Goth then dropped the shatter remnants of her wand. "Tsukune . . . . Moka . . . . everyone . . . . I beg of you . . . . Please stop mistress Yukata from . . . ." but then died before she could finish her sentence. However it was enough as they successfully received her emotion as they knew what she wanted to say.

Yukata looking grief torn then commanded her body to bring Ruby to her as it then ate her corpse absorbing her mind, body, and spirit into herself. "It's enough now . . . . You can't defy me any further now . . . . Ruby . . . . I can feel it. Your youth and vitality is filling me up. I can feel your energy throughout each cell of my body". Even though she said this, her voice cracked as she was obviously in pain for what she had just did.

"How sad" as Moka picked up the remnants of her wand. "Ruby sacrificed herself to try and stop you and in her memory I will fulfill her final wish" pointing the broken wand at her.

Yukata shivered in rage at the statement. "Silence! I'll destroy you so that you won't say such things anymore!" as her tendrils shot out once again trying to catch the vampire.

"Don't forget I'm here as well" as Lucy cut every vine that came at them. "Moka! Finish her!"

As the silver haired vampire approached in blinding speed, she jumped up again taking aim with her staff knowing exactly where she needed to hit Yukata. However in the air, she was not able to dodge as all of the elder witch's tendrils converged in front of her intending to make sure she doesn't reach her intended target. But for Moka, she didn't have to move as a certain tanned youth had her covered as his special circular shield materialized in front of her blocking the attack as it started to crash right through them as Moka free fell to her target. Upon landing she stabbed her intended target as the broken wand pierced her book.

Yukata coughed at receiving the fatal blow as the medium that controlled her magic and sustained her life was now gone. "_To think I would be defeated in such a way . . . ._ " Her eyes then looked up at the shield that protected the vampire. " _. . . . This rune configuration_" as her eyes wandered to the boy who casted it. "_How many years have it been since I've seen it . . . . . such a burden he must bear with . . . . _" As her life flashed before her eyes, tears began to roll down her cheek as there was a regret she wished she could have overturned, ". . . .Ruby" Just like that her body began to destabilize as her immense power began electrify out of her body.

"What's this?" asked Tsukune.

"We have to get away! We must get further! Her body is made of multiple monsters. When Yukata lost the medium to control the magic which controlled the fusion, the power began to destabilize and at this rate it's going to result in a giant explosion!" said Yukari.

Kohta using some minor telekinesis pulled both Lucy and Moka away as they started to run. Lucy seeing how slow her tanned friend was grabbed him as she used her vectors to make a hasty retreat as Moka concentrated more of her youki to run faster.

Just like that the explosion was immense as it wiped out the ranch and everything else within the two hundred yard radius.

* * *

~ Witch's Ranch ~ (morning)

The group stood on a hill as they overlooked the crater of what was once the witch's ranch.

As Tsukune looked at the destruction, he could only hold his face to what had happened. "Ruby . . . . I did all I could . . . . but it was all for naught . . . . For naught!"

Kohta also couldn't help but feel bad at how things turned out. I mean it was true they saved countless human lives, his cousin Yuka, his auntie, and his home in the process. But for the lives of Ruby and Yukata to end like this . . . . it was just . . . . Too sad.

"Kohta-kun . . . . " asked Nyu in concern. "We saved Yokohama . . . . We did the right thing . . . . Right?"

The tanned youth looked down in thought. "Yes, but the cost was too great . . . ." to which everyone agreed too. In the end, they were just trying to protect their home. Although their methods were extreme . . . . It was just too sad to how it had to end . . . .

The group then heard two vehicles pull up as their bus and an unknown car drove up. Then out from the car came Nekonome-sensei. "Sorry for the slight delay". But as she observed the groups expression, "Oh dear, it didn't go without trouble it seems".

"Nekonome-sensei . . . . In the end . . . . We couldn't do anything" said Tsukune as the group felt further disheartened from his statement.

"Are you dumb or are you just doing it on purpose" Now from the open bus, a tall boy wearing a headband with his hair slicked back walked out

"Gin! What are you doing here?" However that wasn't nearly as important as they saw a certain girl in his arms which caused everyone to look in shock. "Ruby!"

"Hee hee hee, it just leaves you speechless right?" as the mysterious bus driver then walked out. "That girl got out of the explosion unscathed. I found her lying unconscious on the road side. It seems she used the last of her strength to protect this child".

However the group wasn't entirely listening as they were just too overjoyed that Ruby was alive. As they surrounded her, they were just too happy to care about anything else.

The mysterious bus driver gave a slight smirk to this. "_Those kids are strong . . . . their bravery and confidence in each other succeeded in changing Yukata's heart . . . . Not to mention they saved the city and its people_". He then gave a puff of his cigar. "You said you didn't do anything? But you all behaved like heroes".

Just like that their summer project came to an end.

To be continued . . . .

* * *

Author's notes: That concludes this chapter. I hope everyone enjoyed it.

**TheWatcher2785** – Well something interesting will happen for them both. But that won't happen till some time later. So thank you for your patronage in reading so far as well as your review.

**Balthier** – Well I hope I don't disappoint. So thank you for your kind patronage in taking the time to read and review.

So I would like to thank you all for reading this fic and I further extend my gratitude if you can review it as well.


	12. How is this for a Story?

Rosario to Elf

Disclaimer: I do not own Elfen Lied, Rosario + Vampire, or any characters associated with either of the series.

"talking"

_thoughts_

* * *

How is this for a Story?

* * *

Kohta took a deep breath of the morning air as he and Nyu had now stepped onto school grounds.

"Although it's been a while, it's feels like it's been forever since we've been back to school" said the tanned youth.

"Yeah" smiled Nyu.

After the witch ranch incident many movements were made in the human world to preserve the sunflower fields as people from all over stood up to save the garden. With great perseverance and hardwork, they succeeded as the garden was now protected property by law.

Then after some work, the two clubs wrote up their newspaper prepping it for the next school semester as the newspaper club wrote up the articles while the photography club overlaid the pictures.

Now as this was all being done in Yokohama, Kohta couldn't find much time to visit his cousin to which he could only imagine how worried sick she was for him. But then again he would have a hard time explaining his group as they weren't very tuned to being in the human world and more than likely would have said something very odd which would have aroused his cousin's suspicions. So it was probably best that he visited her when he was around more 'normal' company.

So now at the start of the new semester, Tsukune graciously offered to share credit with them as they handed out their newspaper. But of course both Kohta and Nyu had to decline as they were just happy to help. Seeing the kind of attention they were getting, it was best they left the task up to them as hoards of guys just seemed to surround their table. Now if either of them decided to stay for just a bit longer they would have noticed a mysterious ice maiden with purple hair now approaching the newspaper clubs table to which this mysterious girl had her eye more specifically on a certain male.

* * *

~ Youkai Academy (English Class) ~

"Come on! You've got to be kidding me!"

"Yeah! Why do we have to get stuck with this?"

"A project this early in the semester?"

The flamboyant English teacher simply waved this off as he continued to flash and turn as if he were a rock star. "Well what better way to kick off a new semester nee?"

"Oh come on!"

"Lousy teacher!"

"This is tyranny!"

"Now now don't be like that" he then said. "It's not like this project will be due tomorrow. I'll be giving you the entirety of a month to get this done".

"Umm sensei" as Kohta raised his hand. "What will the subject of this book be?"

"Anything you want. I give you all full approval to use any kind of literature you see fit".

At this statement much conversation were being bumped around as some of the students talked amongst themselves.

"And furthermore you're all free to work as individuals or in groups. However my limit is two to a report understand".

* * *

~ Youkai Academy ~ (afternoon)

"Since we're working as partners I have just the book I wanted to do this on!" chimed Nyu as her eyes twinkled a bit.

"What's that Nyu-san?" Kohta smiled back softly.

"I have no idea!"

The tanned youth blinked at this. ". . . . What?"

"I'm not really sure what the books name was but I'm pretty sure it was mythology".

"Mythology huh? Sounds interesting. So where is this book? At the school's library?"

Nyu shook her head as she then smiled brilliantly to him. "I found the book in your library. I wanted to use that to do our report on".

Kohta blushed as he knew exactly what she was going to ask now. "Nyu-san! You can't sneak over to my room again!"

"Ahh, why not" she then pouted cutely too.

The tanned youth sighed as her puppy dog eye look would always get him every time. However he had to draw the line. If Nyu visited his room again, temptation might get the better of him and that was something he wanted to avoid. So he had another plan in mind, "come with me" to which without thinking he grabbed her hand leading them to a cherry blossom tree nearby. Then taking a seat, he patted the ground motioning for Nyu to do the same. "We can do the link here every afternoon under this tree where we usually hang out. Is that alright?"

Nyu slightly frowned at this, but soon conceded as she smiled to him. "OK" as she laid her hand on top of his. Then resting her back to the tree, "let's begin then shall we?" With that the pair looked like they fell asleep as they were now leaning against each other. If anyone else passed by them at this time they could have sworn it was the cutest thing they've ever seen.

* * *

~ Inner World ~

"So what is this book you're talking about?" as Kohta closely followed behind his friend.

"Well I know it's around here somewhere . . . . Ahh! Here it is!" as Nyu removed the book with much glee.

The tanned youth eyed the book with curiosity. "That's weird. Why doesn't it have a title?"

The ditzy girl could only shrug at this as honestly she had no idea. Although there was a sign on the aisle saying what these books were, it wasn't in Japanese which struck her as odd. Simply when she really took a hard look around some of the contents of the library were somewhat mismatched in relation to their language. But then again she simply shrugged it off as it didn't seem very important. "_Kohta-kun must be a very well informed person_".

So then walking back to the main hall, the pair took their seats as Nyu sat down with Kohta right next to her.

"So what mythology is it?"

"Japanese I believe".

". . . . What do you mean? You don't know?"

"Well the characters I recognize as Japanese. But the story is something a bit different from what I heard of".

Kohta scratched his cheek at this. "Well if it's in my head then I must have heard of it at some place or another. So tell me Nyu-san, what is the story about?" He then looked up as he gave a bit of a nervous chuckle. "Actually my mythology is a bit rusty, so would you mind telling me who was part of these stories again?"

"Of course!" she smiled. Then flipping the book open, "the story begins from centuries long ago during the time when the world was still young. From the birth of creation were born two gods, Izanagi and Izanami. Although they were born as a fated pair, tragedy soon befell them as Izanami died. So in his grief Izanagi transverse into Yomi to bring her back. However upon discovering her rotten form, he became horrified of what he saw as he fled from her sealing her within the underworld. At this betrayal, Izanami swore she would take a thousand lives to which Izanagi in return would give back a thousand lives".

"Thus setting up their statuses as the god of life and the goddess of death, right?"

"Yes" said Nyu. "So as Izanagi departed Yomi, he was bathed in the evil aura of the underworld. So taking purifying water he washed his left eye, his right eye, and nose".

"That gave birth to the three noble children. Hmm, what were their names again?"

"There was the god of darkness and protector of the night Tsukiyomi who watched over the world from the moon. The goddess of light and protector of the day Amaterasu who watched over the world from the sun. And then there was the god of the skies and protector of the heavens Susanoo who watched over the world from above. With these three deities created the trinity for life to begin on Earth. Then from there other gods were born to govern different roles in the world like water, earth, fire, and wind for the lands fertility. As well as emotions, knowledge, and medicine to govern the lives of mortals".

"Wow that's a lot of information" said Kohta giving a slight chuckle. He then looked up in thought. "Hmm . . . . but how did it all end?"

"What do you mean?" as Nyu now looked up from her book.

"Well it's usually common in most mythologies that they talk about the end of days which usually meant the end of the gods or life itself. Like in Norse they talked about Ragnorak and in Christianity it was Armageddon. So was there anything like that for them?"

The ditzy girl began flipping through the pages of the book speed reading as she went along. Her eyebrows then curled as she looked up. "There's nothing here that talks about their end I'm afraid".

"Were there any other books on the shelf?"

"Not that I saw" as Nyu shrugged at this. "I couldn't read some of them and I didn't know you knew so many languages".

"Ehh, I probably just looked it over once sometime long ago and it just ended up here".

"Ok, so what do you want to base our report on?"

"Can't we talk about all of them? There is enough time isn't there?"

She simply shook her head. "The report has a word limit so we can't talk about them all. Plus we have to add pictures and references. So taking this all into account we only have enough room to make our report on one of them". Nyu then smiled to him, "so who do you want to make the report on?"

"Don't you want to decide Nyu-san?"

"I don't mind, whoever is fine with me".

Kohta took the book from his friend as he began looking over the pages of each of the gods that were mentioned. "_Hmm, they're all very fascinating characters. But who should I choose? They would all make such good reports on . . . ._" But he soon sighed as he passed the book back to her. "It's alright, I'm fine with anyone you choose".

Nyu blinked at this as she then looked up in thought. Then getting into her thinking pose she began to think harder about it until she began to hold her head as if she were in pain.

"Nyu-san, you don't need to think that hard . . . . "

"I got it!" as she popped back to her usual self. "Let's do our report on Tsukiyomi!"

"The moon god huh? Any particular reason to your choice?"

Nyu's eyes then began to twinkle as she looked up dreamily as she clasped her hands in front of her. "Because isn't it just romantic? The night, the moon, the stars, all the right ingredients for the perfect romance story".

Kohta gave a strained laugh at this as he rubbed the back of his head. "_Girls and their ideas on romanticism . . . ._ " as he gave a bit of sigh. "Well if that is your choice then I'm fine with it".

"Thanks Kohta-kun! I can't wait to get started!"

The tanned youth nodded as he soon stood up. "Well in relation to the real world, it ought to be time to return back to class now, right?"

"Yep!" chimed Nyu as she stood up, but then looked to the book in her hand. "I better return this before we leave".

"Alright, hurry back then" said Kohta.

The ditzy girl soon ran off to the aisle and spotting the missing spot placed the book back from once it came.

As she ran back to her friend, there was something she had completely overlooked.

The name of the aisle she got the book from was 'Animus', the Latin word for memory. If she had just looked a bit further down the hall, she would have come across a badly damaged book. In this book was a record of seven years ago. But in relation to Kohta and Nyu . . . . What really happened seven years ago . . . .

* * *

To be continued . . . .

Author's notes: That concludes another chapter.

Anyways, I thank you all for reading this fic and I further extend my gratitude if you can review it as well.


	13. The Coming Darkness

Rosario to Elf

Disclaimer: I do not own Elfen Lied, Rosario + Vampire, or any characters associated with either of the series.

"talking"

_thoughts_

* * *

The Coming Darkness

* * *

~ Inner World ~

"Hmm, this looks like something interesting to read" said Kohta as he was walking down one his library aisles. He wasn't sure when it happened, but due to Nyu's constant telepathic connections he was now able to freely roam his library but only in his dreams. Although he was curious to how this was even possible, his pink haired friend could only shrug at this as frankly she didn't know either. In a way it would be rather presumptuous of him to assume he knew how this happened, but his working hypothesis so far was that due to all the telepathic connections some part of his mind was awakened which now allowed him to enter his inner world on his own volition. Although he shrugged at this as he didn't really care how this happened.

Now most people would think that having your sub-conscious mind awake while your body was asleep was draining process. However it was strangely in a way relaxing as Kohta was able to do a ton of things in there. For one thing, the physical laws of that world were his to control which he had fun manipulating for a few nights. But for most nights when he wasn't reading in his library, he enjoyed materializing a television featuring some his favorite shows and movies he used to watch to which he was surprised he would even remember them in such detail. However Nyu told him that the sub-conscious mind always remembered to which he found rather cool.

Another interesting development to unfold was that aside from entering his inner world, his pink haired friend was now able to connect to him from a distance now. At first it was fuzzy and unstable. But soon she was able to speak to him when he was awake and enter his mind when he was asleep. Although the first time she did this was rather . . . . awkward.

* * *

~ Flashback ~

Kohta at this time was wandering around his library looking for a nice book to read. But that's when he heard something odd. "What's that sound?" as he looked around. He then cupped his ear to better focus himself. "Is that . . . . Is that snoring?"

Curiosity immediately set in as for the most part he should be the only one in 'his' library. But finally drawing closer to the noise, he circled around a book shelf to see something he wasn't expecting.

"Nyu-san?" he exclaimed in surprise. There in the empty part of his library, his ditzy friend was apparently fast asleep in her bed looking quite peaceful where she was. But as Kohta looked to her he was curious of just one thing, "is that really Nyu-san? Or is that some sort of projection of her?" Although he never tried to create any actual person in his world, he was thinking about Nyu recently so he was not sure if it was her or not."But Nyu-san is a telepath. So this might actually be her. But how can I be sure . . . ." to which a very strange thought then came to mind to which he quickly shook off as he didn't want perversion clouding his judgment. "Well . . . . there is only one way to find out" as he then approached her bed.

Now by her bed side a small smile formed as he saw how blissful she looked as she was dressed in an oversized pajama top with a hat to boot. But as she rolled to her other side facing him while flipping over her blanket, Kohta had to cover his eyes in respect to his friend's pride as apparently she didn't agree with pants. "_No . . . . no . . . . I didn't see any panties_" as he quickly looked away. But refocusing himself, he had to know if this was Nyu or not. So carefully lowering himself he leveled his face with her immediately taking notice she was breathing, " . . . . I think she is real". But unbeknownst to him, two arms reached up as they pulled him in smothering his face in both a heavenly and dangerous place.

"I love you rice ball" she murmured.

"Nyu-san! Wake up! You're not supposed to be here!" However he was having trouble on multiple fronts as his face was deep crimson while gagged against her chest to which he was trying not to touch something he wasn't supposed too.

"Oh rice ball, let me have a bite please".

"Nyu-san! Wait! I'm not food!" however this only came out in sounds of grunts and murmurs. Just as she bit into his ear, the tanned youth could only jump at the pain which subsequently forced his ditzy friend to 'wake up' as well.

"Ahh! Kohta-kun! What are you . . . ." as she then looked around. "Doing in your library?"

"That's what I want to know!" blushed Kohta.

~ End Flashback ~

* * *

Soon after, things calmed down as they realized that Nyu was connecting to him sub-consciously in her dreams. Although this was strange at first, Kohta didn't mind having her visit from time to time. Hell, he would even invite her over to watch some old re-runs as they spent a few nights watching favorite shows and movies.

However on this particular night Nyu did not come over to visit which left Kohta free to do whatever he wished. But in this particular case he didn't feel like watching any shows as he decided to look over a few books he found interesting. As he decided to cross over to the 'Animus' aisle of his library, he saw it again. That strange beat up book. He didn't know what it was, but every time he tried to read its contents, multiple strange things seemed to happen to it. The book would at times disappear, the pages would appear blank, or strange scribble doodles were drawn on each page. But something . . . . felt different about today as the book laid there on the shelf for him.

Then taking the book back to the main area he hesitantly at first wondered if he should bother trying to read it. "Ehh why not, it'll probably go blank on me anyways". But upon opening to a random page, his library began to twist and turn as Kohta looked out in shock. "What! What is going on?" But just as fast as it happened was just as fast as it faded as he now found himself standing in a fragmented train cart from what he could see. As he calmly looked around, he knew this book was like some of the others which projected itself like a life like hologram. But seeing how his surroundings were fragmented "must be because of the damaged state of the book". But soon more images began to appear as his eyes focused in what was in front of him. Soon blood began to paint the area as four figures began to appear. But that was when he felt his blood turn cold.

"Why? Why did you do this?" his child self yelled out. "Why did you have to kill father and Kanae? They had nothing to do with this!"

Kohta's eyes were stretched in shock as his child self was cradling his dead sister as she was nothing more than half a body while his father was decapitated just a few feet in front of him. Just in front of them was a person with their back turned to them. But it was easy to tell the person was a girl as she wore a white dress shirt and a red skirt.

What caught his attention most was the blood splatter that drenched her form, but even more then that was the short pink hair and horns that protruded from her head.

"Answer me! Why did you do this?"

Just as the girl began turning around Kohta saw a malevolent smirk spread across her face. Just before she came into full view he woke up.

* * *

~ Physical World ~

Kohta gasped awake as he held his chest at feeling his heart pumping erratically from the intensity of what he felt. "What the hell was that?" as cold sweat dripped from his face. For he wasn't sure what in the world it was, but what he did know was that it was horrible beyond what words could describe. For the most part, what he saw was supposed to be a memory as they were the only things that projected themselves like that.

But that couldn't be right, if what he saw was correct then that memory was something that happened roughly eight years ago. If that was the case, a horned girl eight years ago was responsible for killing his father and sister. But that couldn't be right! They both died in an accident and he saw it happen. But for the sake of argument if what he saw was true then the only girl he knew that had those features was Nyu. According to her, she was the only one of her kind.

Kohta soon calmed himself down. Then making his way to the sink, he washed his face as he looked himself in the mirror. "Yeah, just some dream. Just some sick imagination my mind made up".

So preparing himself for school, he washed up, ate breakfast, got dressed, and was soon out the door as he went along his usual route where Nyu would arrive to meet him. Just like every morning they would walk along the main road while Kohta would ignore the jealous individuals who were glaring at him while Nyu would spark up a conversation.

"Crazy week don't you think Kohta-kun?" smiled Nyu.

"Yeah" he simply replied. "It looks like the school just lost another teacher".

"But at least Tsukune-san and his friends were able to save Mizore-chan. So that's a good thing" she smiled. "And it was a good thing they were able to save her before anything bad really happened".

"I suppose, a few students were hurt in the crossfire. But I guess in the end everything turned out for the best".

Nyu nodded to this, "But I wonder what kind of girl she is".

Just as Kohta was about to speak a sudden chill came over him to which he shivered as did Nyu. " . . . . Do you feel that?"

"Yes . . . ."

The pair then looked back to see an attractive pale skinned girl with short purple hair as she seemed to have been hiding behind a few students who were having the same reaction as them.

"Would you happen to be talking about me?"

"_That must be Mizore-chan_" thought Nyu as she continued to rub her arms to keep herself warm.

"_For some reason I get this impression that she can freeze us just by looking at us_" thought Kohta. But as far as he saw, he'd rather not stick around her for too long as just something about her presence was making them feel for a lack of better words . . . . awkward. " _. . . . I know this may sound rude_" he thought out to Nyu. "_But I'd think we should keep our distance from her for now_".

"_Agreed_" as Nyu shivered again.

"I'm sorry Mizore-san, but we have to go to class now. So good-bye" as the pair made a hasty retreat.

* * *

~ Youkai Academy ~ (lunchtime)

"I don't think we should" said Kohta.

"Why not?" questioned Nyu.

As usual, there day went as it usually went as they went to class, took notes, answered questions, and now were on lunch break. At this time the pair was sitting in their usual spot under a tree.

"I . . . . don't think we should link today".

"Is there something wrong Kohta-kun?" as the ditzy girl looked to him in concern. "If there is something wrong you can tell me".

Kohta looked to her and he soon looked away. After last night's incident, if he said what he saw didn't bother him then he would be lying as he didn't want Nyu in his head at the moment. But more than that he didn't want to take the chance that she would happen to see that book and take offense by it. "It's nothing . . . . I just have a lot on my mind is all. So I just don't want you to run into a bunch of dumb things littering my brain".

"OK, I see"

The tanned youth then gave a strained chuckle at this. As he looked away he saw four unusual students walking by them. "Hmm . . . . that's strange. Are those guys from around here? Are they students from this school?"

Nyu looked to them as she felt their aura. "I think they might be half-breeds".

"Half-breeds?" asked Kohta. "What's that? I thought demons are supposed to be well . . . . demons".

The ditzy girl shook her head at this. "I'm afraid it's not as simple as this because we're not like humans as there are many species of demons".

"So are half-breed basically demons of two different species?"

"Not exactly" continued Nyu. "The union of some demons creates different species which in the past have led to the formation of some prominently known creatures. In other cases, the offspring would be predominantly in favor of one parent while showing minor traits of the other. But then there are the half-breeds . . . ."

"OK . . . . So what about them?"

"In a sense, they are a breed that has no classification".

"Classification?"

"Simply they are demons who belong to no one who are indistinguishable to any category of demon. They are in a sense the unwanted children of society".

"That's pretty harsh don't you think? Thrown out of society just because they don't fit in?"

"Well our society is still learning to adapt to them. But as of late there situation here has been getting progressively worse".

"Really? How so?"

"As of late they've been massing together and forming a kind of gang. But from current situations, they've proven themselves to be a rather aggressive group who attack full breed monsters without prejudice. Recently some students here on campus have been attacked".

"Sounds scary" said Kohta.

"Yeah" said Nyu. "That's why it would be best to keep our distance away from them as much as possible" to which her friend nodded too.

* * *

~ Youkai Academy ~ (the next day)

As Kohta woke up that morning, he figured his day was going to be like any other day which consisted of going to class, hanging out with Nyu during his free time, going home to do his homework, and then finally resting for the next coming day. In his opinion that was a good day so long as he avoided adversity and conflict with other demons in his school.

However, that would not be the case . . . .

During the course of their day Kohta and Nyu heard from Yukari that Tsukune and Moka were attacked to which they barely managed to escape unscathed. Due to this act of aggression, both he and the pink vampire was now a target for every half-breed demon out there.

Of course they were greatly concerned about this. But truthfully Kohta and Nyu prayed that the gang of delinquents would just suck up their pride and just let bygones be bygones. But upon the ending of classes, their worst fears were confirmed.

"Trouble!" as Yukari busted into their classroom.

"What?" asked Kohta as he confronted the child witch, "What happened?"

"Moka-san was kidnapped and Tsukune-san went alone to get her back!"

"That's suicide!" then said Nyu. "Tsukune-san is just a human!"

"That's why we have to go now!" to which the pair followed closely behind the young witch.

"Wait!" said Kohta. "I'll go alert the proper authorities. Afterwards we then can go see what we can do".

"Why?" asked Yukari. "We have to act now!"

"Look, we are probably heading right into their stronghold and we are just a handful versus and entire gang of delinquents. So it's better to be safe than sorry".

"But we've taken on armies before! Just like we did at the ranch!" she then argued.

"But those were just mindless soldiers. What we're up against this time are enemies of unknown abilities. So it would be good that we have reinforcements".

"If we wait then Moka-san and Tsukune-san could die!"

Kohta grunted at this as he didn't like his options. He then closed his eyes to think up of a new plan until something came to mind. "Do you know where they are?"

"Mizore-san said that they were taken to the abandoned gymnasium, why?"

The tanned youth then quickly took out a piece of paper as he jotted down everything he knew about the current situation starting with who was involved, who the perpetrator was, the location of where this was going on, and what to expect. He then folded the letter and he handed it off to a fellow student. "Please take this directly to the principal! It's urgent you get that to him now! Do you understand?"

The said student could only nod at this as they had no time to respond as Kohta, Nyu, and Yukari were well out the door.

By the time they reached the front of the school, they were joined by Kurumu and Mizore as the ice maiden led the way to where Tsukune and Moka were taken. As they raced there, they could only pray they were still OK.

"I'm sorry . . . ." to which everyone looked to Mizore. "If only I were braver I could have done something about this . . . ."

"It's not your fault" then said Kohta. "Considering the situation you did what you could".

"But I . . . ."

"He's right Mizore-chan" continued Nyu. "You did what you could. So you have no reason to blame yourself".

"That's right" said Kurumu. "But now that we're here, let's do what we can to save them!"

As they approached the abandon building it appeared that it would not be easy to get in as many of the gang members surrounded the exterior which forced the group to hide.

"We have to get in there" said Kurumu. "Tsukune could be in great danger!"

"But we can't" then said Yukari. "The only way we're getting inside is through them and that's a lot of bad guys".

Mizore remained silent as she looked out to the odds.

Nyu looked out as well as she then looked to Kohta. "_Kohta-kun . . . ._" she thought out.

The tanned youth nodded as they needed to get in there and get in there now. He then looked to the group as he had a plan, a dumb plan but a plan nonetheless. "Nyu-san and I will divert their attention while you three go in there to assist Tsukune-san and Moka-san".

"But that's crazy!" exclaimed Yukari. "You can't take that many on your own!"

"Look there is no other way!" rebuttal Kohta. "It's either wait for reinforcements or this. So we don't have a lot of options to work with here".

"Then let us stay and fight with you too" then said Kurumu as her nails began to grow.

"No, you need to be as fresh as possible as there is no telling what can be in there. So Nyu-san and I will lead them away as you three will go in".

"But Kohta-san . . . ."

"Don't worry about us Yukari-chan" calmly smiled Kohta. "Have faith in us and know that everything will be alright".

The child witch bit her lip as she looked away at the hard decision she had to make.

"Just come back safely OK" said Kurumu to which Mizore gave a nod too.

"Right" chimed Nyu.

So getting themselves prepared Kohta and Nyu made their way out into an open area. Choosing the right words to get their attention, "hey stupid half-breeds! Come and get us!" which was ample enough to entice their attention. Kohta and Nyu then started to run with a now angry mob of demons chasing them. Then briefly looking back they saw as Kurumu, Mizore, and Yukari were clear as they ran inside.

Soon getting far enough Nyu gave him the nod as Kohta released her as an explosion of power emitted from her as Lucy had now come out to play. Of course there enemy was intimidated by what they were up against, but they were confident that they could win with their sheer numbers alone.

"You really have a good knack for getting me involved in some rather troublesome problems Kohta" said Lucy plainly as she began to summon her vectors.

"Sorry Lucy-san, but some friends are in trouble and I couldn't just turn my back on them" as the conduit lines began to light up on Kohta's forearms.

"So how many are there you think?" the horned girl then questioned.

"Thirty . . . . forty. So that would make twenty for each of us".

"My my Kohta, I thought you didn't like fighting. You would usually leave the dirty work for me to handle".

"People are in trouble Lucy-san, and we have to get to them as soon as possible".

"There you go again dragging me into other people's problems" as Lucy then glared as she looked to Kohta with some contempt.

"I'm sorry, but please loan me your power as good people are in trouble and I don't want them to get hurt".

The horned girl looked to him before looking back to her opponents as a smirk formed. "Just make sure to beat down your twenty got it or you'll lose my respect as a man who can't honor his word".

Kohta sighed at this. "Yes I understand Lucy-san" to which the battle began.

Lucy bashed the ground with her vectors launching her like a projectile as she dashed forward meeting danger head on as her half-breed opponents began to mutate into each of their own unique forms generating each of their own unique abilities. But the horned girl didn't care much for that. For her blood boiled in excitement at the fury of battle. She didn't know why, but something about fighting just made her feel so alive. The violence, the blood, the pain, she just couldn't get enough of it. Although all this was racing through her mind, it did not in the slightest weaken her focus or technique as she beat down every demon that approached her.

Her companion however was different. Violence was not in his nature as he preferred to solve his problems through conversation and understanding. However the situation in itself would not allow such a thing to be possible, and so he fought as he had people he wanted to protect. As he fought hand to hand with the demons, just like that time with the safety committee, his body instinctually knew what to do as he blocked, parried, and attacked every demon that faced him. He wondered previously how he could know such martial arts to which he believed his magic was responsible for. However as he continued to move it just felt too close to second nature to just be simply that. But it didn't matter now, they were winning and soon after a few minutes they were both done as all forty of them were beaten to the ground.

"Not bad Kohta, maybe I ought to fight you sometime and see what you're made of".

Kohta simply waved his hands at this. "Some other time perhaps. But we need to see what the situation is over there. Tsukune-san and his friends might need our help".

"Tsk, fine let's go then".

After a bit of running they soon arrived back at the abandoned gymnasium to see something neither of them could understand. "What is going on here?" asked Kohta. "Why are Moka-san and Tsukune-san fighting?" to which the two were ferociously attacking each other.

"Look" said Lucy as she noted the currently incapacitated Kurumu as her side was bleeding as Yukari and Mizore were with her trying to heal her.

The pair then made their way to them. "What's going on here? Are you alright? Why are they fighting?"

The girls looked shaken as they stared at the still ongoing fight.

Kohta soon kneeled to meet with Yukari face to face. "Please tell me what is going on? How did this happen?"

The young witch trembled as she soon faced him tears beginning to form in her eyes. "Tsukune-san is . . . . Tsukune-san is . . . ."

"He's dead" plainly stated Lucy.

"What?" as the tanned youth looked back at her, "what are you talking about? He's right there isn't he?"

The horned girl shook her head at this. "I can tell. Every living thing has some degree intelligent thought. But what that 'thing' is now is no longer human or demon. For that 'thing' doesn't even deserve to be called alive".

"Don't say that!" exclaimed Kurumu as her tears were now present. "Tsukune is still in there! Please! Please! Stop this! Don't let Tsukune die! Not like this!"

Mizore could only tremble as she watched the situation escalate.

Kohta then looked out as he didn't like how things were turning out. But then . . . . what was he supposed to do? "But what has happened to Tsukune? Why is he fighting with Moka?"

"Tsukune-san was injured while protecting Moka-san when her powers were drained by water. So in a last ditch effort to save him Moka-san injected some of her blood into him to save his life. But instead of turning into a vampire like he usually did . . . . he became a ghoul".

"A what?"

"What a true monster is" continued Lucy. "A creature with an unquenchable thirst and hunger for blood and flesh who must always seek conflict to get it". The horned girl then gave a growl. "This creature is truly an abomination that should be put out of its misery".

"Please don't" begged Kurumu. "Please . . . . please save Tsukune . . . . Don't let Moka kill him. If she does . . . . no one will ever recover from this . . . ."

Kohta narrowed his sight at this. He then closed his eyes in thought slowly contemplating his next move before reopening them. "I understand" as he looked to the blue succubus. "We will save Tsukune; we will not allow him to die. We promise".

" . . . . Thank you" weakly smiled Kurumu as Yukari and Mizore nodded in relief to this.

The pair then raced out to them as Kohta began filling Lucy in on the plan. "You restrain Moka-san as I try to capture Tsukune-san. After I manage to slow him down, I'm going to need your help to scan his mind to find Tsukune-san in there".

"You're going through an awful amount of trouble Kohta. But then tell me, what are you going to do if there is nothing left of that boy in that head of his?"

Kohta looked down before looking back to her. ". . . . We just have to have faith".

"Tsukune!" called Moka as she was going to deliver another devastating punch. But just an inch away from his face she was stopped as she felt some sort of hand holding her arm back. The vampire then looked back to see Lucy there as she was soon being reeled back further restrained while being lifted into the air. "What do you think you're doing?"

Just as Tsukune recovered and was about to attack her, Kohta jumped in as he caught his punch while throwing the boy some distance away.

The silver haired vampire continued to struggle against her restraint as Lucy stood there nonchalantly as she watched the current battle occurring. "Put me down now! I must finish what I started!"

"Don't push me vampire" half-threatened Lucy. "You're in no condition to be telling me what to do especially with how weak you are at the moment. But frankly I would rather have had that thing destroyed" which caused Moka to jerk a bit. "However my stupid other's friend wants to believe in him as well as those groupies over there. So I'll give him the time he wants to which I'll let you go once you've calmed down some".

Moka gave a growl to this as she had no choice for now but to watch. "_But this should give me some time to recover . . . ._"

Now at this time Kohta wasn't certain what to do. He didn't actually have any spells that could possibly restrain him and he didn't want to use his magic that could actually hurt him. But at the way things were turning out, "_he's more than likely to hurt me_".

Just from the few punches that passed by his face, he could tell that his attacks were quite lethal. Just one of those hits could send him to the pearly gates. But for now he needed to buy time so that he could stall him long enough for Lucy to perform a link to his mind to see if some part of Tsukune was still in there. But if he wasn't . . . . he was prepared to do what had to be done. He was certain Tsukune would not want to be trapped in the body of a killer. Simply, it was the most humane thing to do.

"But is has not yet come to that!" as Kohta shot his hands up using minor telekinetic abilities to which the Earth below Tsukune reached up as they grabbed his legs binding him in place. Then with a few motions of his hands, the Earth began to curl and wrap around him solidifying him in place as it bounded his arms to his body. Tsukune then began to roar and scream in an inhuman fashion as he struggled against his restraints. "There" the tanned youth breathed out, "capture complete". He then looked back to Lucy, "please Lucy-san, do it now!"

"You fool!" Moka then yelled. "That will not hold him!"

"What?" as Kohta looked back, Tsukune busted through it as he shot a spear hand right at him. With the attack being this close to him, Kohta was not able to get out of the way. So doing the only thing he could do, his shield spell immediately activated as the circular shield of light materialized to stop the attacker from hurting its user. But the moment Tsukune made contact with the shield; Kohta couldn't believe what he was seeing. The ghoul had not only just sliced right through it, but his attack was still coming as there was nothing he could do now to protect himself. Within that last possible moment, " _. . . . Damn_" as the attack had then pierced his chest ripping through skin, muscle, and bones at Tsukune's hand re-emerged out through his back side. Kohta's eyes widened in shock to what had happened as not only did blood gush out from his wounds but also from his mouth at the extreme internal trauma his organs had just suffered.

Everyone watched in shock to what had happened as Yukari cupped her mouth in horror, Kurumu gaped as the horrific scene, Mizore froze in fear, while Moka narrowed her eyes in guilt and anger for not finishing this sooner.

But out of everyone, Lucy was the most shocked and horrified as she couldn't believe what she just saw. As it started to settle in, tears began to form as her breathing started to feel heavy. But finally after a moment in grief, the horned girl was able to find her voice again as she was only able to scream out the one thing that came to mind. "Kohta!"

To be continued . . . .

* * *

Author's notes: I was just wondering how the principal would have known where to find Moka let alone prepare a seal for Tsukune. So I figured I would at least fill in that plot hole. Plus I was also curious how Kurumu, Yukari, and Mizore were able to barge in without any trouble to which I figured I might as well fill in that gap as well.

But anyways I hope this chapter was an enjoyable read.

Anyways, I thank you all for reading this fic and I further extend my gratitude if you can review it as well.


	14. From the Dusk it Came

Rosario to Elf

Disclaimer: I do not own Elfen Lied, Rosario + Vampire, or any characters associated with either of the series.

"talking"

_thoughts_

* * *

From the Dusk it Came

* * *

"Kohta!" Lucy screamed at seeing what had happened to the tanned youth.

At this time, the ghoul Tsukune lifted his arm as Kohta was still struggling to stay conscious from having an arm impaled in his chest. But soon the ghoulish creature flicked his arm throwing him aside like trash as the tanned youth was left to die were he laid.

Kohta barfed out more blood as his hand twitched to cover his wound.

At feeling Lucy's restraints on her weaken, "You should have let me finish this!" as Moka was now free to battle again. The silver haired vampire then re-engaged Tsukune as she sent out a flurry of kicks. "_Forgive me Tsukune . . . . Everyone . . . . But it has to end this way_".

As the vampire was busy fighting Tsukune, Lucy made her way to Kohta attempting to see what she could do. "Idiot! You damned idiot! If you just listened to me then this wouldn't have happened!"

Kohta gave a pained chuckle as he attempted to stretch his lips into a smile to calm the pink diclonius down. But as he tried to form words he couldn't as all he could do was gurgle as his blood was clogging his throat. Pain had now completely clouded his mind as it was taking all his willpower to stay conscious.

Lucy's eyes began to redden a bit to which she tried her best to hide this. "If you die . . . . My stupid other would never let me hear the end of this! So you better not die on me! Not like this!" Lucy then summoned her vectors as she used her psychic hands to attempt to heal him by reconstructing the damaged section of his body on the cellular level. However Lucy's expression darkened as she examined him, "_the damage is too severe . . . . lacerations on several soft tissues followed with a complex compound fracture . . . . loss of blood is too great to replenish . . . . lungs are all but destroyed . . . ._" Lucy then shut her eyes as she shook her head to keep herself focused. "_I have to keep working . . . . I have to keep his mind active . . . . Come on you stupid boy. Don't die on me like this_". As she attempted to create a connection . . . . "it can't be . . . ." In trying to connect to him telepathically, a connection would not form. If his mind had completely gone silent then, "oh no . . . . Kohta . . . ."

* * *

~ Inner World ~

Kohta at this time laid in his library as his mental projection began to reflect the state of his physical body as blood was beginning to leak through his shirt in the spot he was injured. He laid there in the center of the grand hall reflecting on how everything came to be in his life.

The tanned youth then convulsed as he spat out more blood to which he gave a bit of a laugh. ". . . . Didn't think . . . . my life would come to an end like this . . . ." He then looked to the ceiling of his library. "I guess I'll get to be with father and Kanae now . . . ." Then turning his head a bit, he started to see the shelves around him beginning to crumble and deform as the books started to fade away. "Heh heh heh, it looks like my time is up now".

"But it's not yet your time to die. . . ."

Kohta then shifted his head upward to see his child self standing above him. The tanned youth closed his eyes as he gave a soft chuckle. "Of course I am . . . . I'm pretty sure my physical body is dead as evidenced by this place falling apart" as more shelves began to crumble with more books beginning to fade away.

". . . ."

"I guess I'm going to die without getting the chance to hear what you had to say". Kohta then shifted his eyes to look around to see the lights to his library beginning to fade out as darkness began to consume the area around him. "I guess this is it . . . . That must be the shadow of death people tend to talk about when making the transition . . . ." to which he gave another weak chuckle too. "Kind of scary now that I see it".

"Actually, you're wrong" said the little boy in a kind of matter of fact way. He then walked to Kohta's side bending his knees as he began poking his finger at his cheek. "The darkness you see around you is not what you think it is".

Kohta then looked to his child self to explain further although slightly annoyed that this boy was poking fun at the fact he was a hair length away from his death.

"As I said it's not your time to die yet as there is still so much that you have to do in the world". The boy then looked out to some direction before looking back to him. "Although I would love to send you back, your mental state is too weak to do anything to be of any help to anyone. So I guess I'll have to take over for now until you recover".

"What . . . .?"

"Don't worry" young Kohta calmly smiled. "Everything is going to be alright" to which with that the entire library was consumed into the darkness.

* * *

~ Physical World ~

Kurumu, Yukari, and Mizore were still left in a state of shock from what they saw. Tsukune, the boy they all liked had just mercilessly killed Kohta who was trying to help him. At this time, Ura-Moka was attacking him with everything she got as she wasn't pulling any punches in this fight.

For the three girls didn't know what to do. To kill Tsukune was the most humane thing to do as all he was now was a killer in the boys form. However they couldn't make the hard choice as him or not, Tsukune was the one who brought them out of their sorrow to which they couldn't turn their back on that. But what the hell were they supposed to do?

Moka had cleared her heart and mind of all distractions as she was ready to do what needed to be done. She could hate herself later for this, but there was no way around it. Kohta had lost his life for nothing to which his companion by observation was in no state to be of any help and she couldn't depend on the others as they would most likely be killed due to distraction from their own personal feelings.

But for the battle itself, it was dragging on for far too long. She was only fighting at best to a quarter of her usual strength and Tsukune's healing factor was making it difficult to injure him as he would immediately recover from any damage she dealt. So it was now a battle of attrition if either herself or Tsukune would run out of power first. If it was going to be like that, then she needed to deal a fatal hit ending this battle by either destroying his heart or taking his head. Moka's expression tightened at this, "_I'm sorry Tsukune . . . ._"

Lucy at this time was doing all she could to save Kohta but knew it was pointless as the damage was far too severe for any living thing to survive. "You idiot!" as she grabbed a handful of his shirt squeezing it. "You just had to go and die like the big hearted caring bastard you are!" Her eyes then clamped shut as tears threatened to spill out. Her personality was that of a hardened warrior. However, "for an insignificant boy like you to affect me like this . . . . I'll never forgive you if you die . . . ."

But unknown to her Kohta's eyes had just snapped open.

"_You should have left when I told you so . . . ._" thought Moka as she was close to finishing her fight. "_If only you had listened . . . . It wouldn't have had to come to this_" as Moka punched him again. "_. . . . In the next life . . . . May you forgive me for killing you . . . ._" the silver haired vampire then prepared her hand as she concentrated all the youki she could into it. "Tsukune!" as she speared hand for his heart.

"That won't be necessary".

Moka's eyes widened as she was witnessing a miracle before her now. "Impossible, you're supposed to be dead".

Kohta had grabbed her arm in mid strike as he soon pushed her behind him. "Stand aside now. This battle I can handle on my own".

Although Moka would argue this she was still stuck in a state of stupor. For the wounds he suffered were now gone as the gaping hole in his chest appeared as if nothing happened at all. As she looked to him, Kohta was exerting a kind of power she had never felt before as it didn't feel either demonic or spiritual in origin, but something else entirely. But shaking her mind of this, she was about to argue with him but was soon lifted into the air as she was pulled back by his pink haired companion. "What is the meaning of this? What are you doing?"

Lucy was at loss for words too as she couldn't even fathom what had happened just moments ago. The tanned youth was officially dead for several minutes as not only did his heart stop, but his mind also went silent. But just as suddenly as he left was just as suddenly as he came back.

* * *

~ Flashback ~

As Kohta's eyes snapped open, Lucy almost jumped back at his sudden activity.

Looking to him, that's when she felt some sort of strange energy emitting from him which started to make her shiver at feeling its radiance.

But then looking down to him, that's when the horned girl saw something that was beyond understanding. At that moment, Kohta's shadow began to misshapen as it started to filter into his wound stretching out completely enveloping the damaged section filling it up. Just a moment later, it evaporated into a shadowy like mist as his wound was no longer apparent with his shadow returning to its original form. Then from his hands, his conduit lines began to glow. But it didn't stop there as the lines began to spread all around his body in a unique pattern until every part of what Lucy could see was marked with it just before dissipating. His body soon levitated off the ground as he was then back on his feet.

The horned girl was still dumbfounded about what had just happened in front of her. Then standing up to face him, "Kohta . . . ."

"I'll deal with Tsukune. Just please stand aside and make sure Moka-san doesn't interfere" to which with that Kohta disappeared right before her eyes reappearing between the vampire and ghoul as he forced Moka to stop to which doing as she was told restrained the silver haired vampire until further notice.

~ End Flashback ~

* * *

"Just stay silent and watch . . . ." to which Moka didn't want to do however had no choice but to agree to as she didn't have to power to resist her abilities. So with that both girls watched to see how the new tide of events would play out before them.

Kohta closed his eyes as he gave a bit of a smirk. "It's looks like they were able to receive 'my' message. That's good. They'll be here shortly. So I guess all I have to do is hold you off until then".

Tsukune growled as he swung his fist at him. But at the moment his attack met its target's face, it passed right through him. Due to ghoul Tsukune overextending his attack, the creature flew to the ground uncertain to what had just happened as he looked back to see Kohta turning towards him.

"_It looks like all I can do is some mediocre tricks_" as he then looked to his hand flexing it into a fist. "_I used up too much power to repair 'my' body. I won't be able use my usual spells. But no matter, my minor spells should be more than sufficient_".

The ghoul in blinded rage clawed his way back on his feet as he attempted to take a few more shots at his current opponent. But try as he might, Kohta would either easily dodge his punches or phase right through them. But ghoul Tsukune was none the wiser as all he was now was a mindless creature just trying to kill his enemy like the berserker he was.

Kohta's expression hardened a bit as he started to feel a bit of strain. "_I think I may have underestimated my condition a bit . . . . 'my' body must still be trying to adapt due to its older frame_". But at seeing Tsukune's fist approach him, Kohta just looked to him as suddenly the ghoul was flipped onto his back.

"What is going on?" asked Yukari as she along with Kurumu and Mizore were still watching the events evolve in front of them. "How is Kohta-san all better now? And how is he doing that?" at seeing the overwhelming difference between the two combatants. "Tsukune-san just attacked and then suddenly went down when Kohta-san was just standing there".

"It doesn't matter" then said Kurumu. "Thank goodness no one has died . . . ." as she gave a sniffle.

"Look" pointed Mizore. "What's that?"

The little witch took note of what the ice maiden was looking at. As she closely observed, she saw something odd as long arms of shadows were stretched around Tsukune as if grabbing him as they manipulated his movements which seemed to be throwing the ghoul around or flipping him about as he tried to attack Kohta. "What kind of spell is that? I've never seen anything like it before".

As Tsukune was fighting monstrously against the forces that held him back, Kohta looked extremely relaxed. His current spell was enough to offset his attacker's movements so that he would not have to move or take minor steps to avoid him. As he looked to Tsukune's current state the boy was heavily breathing, "he seems to be wearing down . . . . it'll be over soon". The tanned youth then closed his eyes as he looked about. "_They're almost here_" as he reopened his eyes. "_With my current power levels, my shadow sealing spell wouldn't really be that effective. But Tsukune should be weak enough now . . . . So this should work_". Just as Tsukune charged in for another attack, the shadow arms that restrained him disappeared leaving him free to attack. At the moment the ghoul's fist was about to meet his face it stopped.

Everyone then looked as they were confused to what there were seeing. The creature had completely stopped now as he was frozen like a statue in front of Kohta as the tanned youth didn't even falter as the ghoul Tsukune fidgeted and growled as he attempted to break free from whatever force he was trapped in.

At seeing things quieting down everyone then began to slowly approach them.

"What did you do?" asked Moka as her aura still reflected that of killing intent as she was still readying herself to do the unhappy deed.

"Just a simple trick of mine" simply said Kohta as he moved Tsukune's fist away from his face moving it to his side. "Although I needed to drop Tsukune's power level a bit for my spell to work" as he looked to his foot which was currently stepping on the boy's shadow. Then sensing what Moka was going to ask next, "Tsukune is still alive in there and soon help will be here to cure him of his current problem".

"How do you know that?"

"I just do" he calmly said.

"Thank you" Kurumu almost cried as she could barely contain her relief. "Thank you so much for helping Tsukune" to which the tanned youth nodded too.

Mizore could only rub her eyes dry as she too was happy that things were going to be OK.

Yukari to say the least was happy to how things turned out, but something was nagging at her to what she was witness too. "Kohta-san . . . ." to which Kohta looked to her. "What . . . . are you?"

"What do you mean Yukari-chan?"

"The way you revived yourself and the powers you used to fight Tsukune-san . . . . What are you? No monster in the world should be capable of such things. Even after having your chest blown out like that, not even a vampire could survive an attack like that. I know it's against school regulation, but Kohta-san . . . . Just what are you?" This question also got Moka's interest as she wanted to know that same thing.

The tanned youth calmly looked to her as he gave a solemn expression. "Sorry Yukari-chan. But that's a spoiler for another day". Kohta gave a strained chuckle as it began to become apparent that he was sweating intensely as if he were overworking himself.

"Kohta, what's wrong?" then asked Lucy as she was back to her hardened exterior.

"I'm afraid . . . . I did things a bit out of order as I've awakened sooner then I was supposed to. My soul and body are currently experiencing a misalignment because I tried to reactivate before the correct time came for 'me' to do so".

"Me?" the horned girl questioned. "What are you talking about? What is the meaning of this? What is going on?"

"You'll have your answers" the boy calmly smiled. "Soon, 'I' will come to seek the truth and soon Kaede-chan . . . . I can finally wake you up from the long sleep you're in".

"What?" as Lucy was confused by what he was talking about, "_it's that name again . . . . Kaede . . . . Who is he talking about? And why does he keep referring to himself like that?_" Just as she was going to question this, two figures appeared as they came through the entrance.

"It looks like everything is OK now"

Everyone turned to see who came in as they immediately went into battle mode. "Wait! Who are you people?" questioned Kurumu as she along with everyone else were prepared for the worst.

"What? You don't recognize me by my voice? That's rather depressing" to which the white robed figure removed what she was wearing to reveal who she was.

"Ruby!" exclaimed Yukari and Kurumu in surprise as they weren't expecting to see her again or at least this soon. Upon seeing her they had a bunch of questions to ask like why she was there. However it was put on hold as there was more urgent business before them.

"What a fine mess this has turned out to be" then said the other white robed person. "But nowhere near as bad as it sounded".

"Of course headmaster" said Ruby as she bowed her head to him.

"Headmaster!" as Yukari and Kurumu had to take a double take to the fact that the mysterious headmaster of Youkai academy who has never made a physical appearance anywhere had just showed up before them now.

Kohta noticed his presence as he turned his head to face him. "Thank you for coming in person headmaster. This boy here needs your help from one of those special seals of yours made for his kind".

Mikogami tilted his head a bit as he soon went back to his usual creepy smirk. "So is that the new shell you have . . . ."

The tanned youth positioned his finger over his lips as he gave a 'shhh' sound. "Remember headmaster, spoilers".

The headmaster chuckled at this. "Of course, well let's get this over with". The robed man then approached Tsukune as he removed a crucifix from his cloths. "Now . . . . demon sealing" as he placed the tool to the boy's forehead as an impressive amount of power came forth from it as it started to swirl about condensing and filtering into him.

Tsukune's eyes then started to return to normal as the black like tattoos that grew from his bite marks began to recede. As his eyes started to reflect calmness, Kohta stepped back releasing his spell as the meek boy slowly feel to the ground as he was now back to his original human state.

Just as this happened, Kohta fell unconscious.

"Kohta!"

* * *

~ Hospital ~ (a few days later)

Nyu as this time sat bedside to Kohta as the tanned youth was in a coma like state from whatever happened to him days before.

"Kohta-kun . . . . why won't you wake up?" the ditzy girl questioned as a sad expression could not help but appear on her face.

"Hello Nyu-san".

Nyu looked to see as Yukari had just walked through the door to which she warmly smiled too. "Hello Yukari-chan, is everything going alright?"

"Yes, so did Kurumu-san and Mizore-san come by already?"

"Yes" she nodded. "They both came by to pay their respects" as she looked to Kohta.

Yukari gave a nod of approval to this. But then looking to the tanned youth who lay motionless in the bed, "so is Kohta-san OK?" giving an expression of concern.

The ditzy girl then looked down sadly as she shook her head. "I don't know. The doctor says that Kohta-kun has suddenly fallen into a coma to which it might be hours, days, or months if Kohta-kun ever wakes up again".

Yukari's eyebrow rose is curiosity to this. "Didn't you try your telepathy? Even if he's like this, his mind should still be active right? So why not try to connect to him? Maybe you can wake him like that".

Nyu shook her head once again as this. "I tried already . . . . Something is keeping me from connecting to him as if there is no signal to connect too".

"You're not saying he's . . . ."

She shook her head again. "I can sense that Kohta-kun is still active in there . . . . but it's as if . . . . he's locked himself away from the entire world around him and doesn't want anyone to come in . . . ."

"I see" then said Yukari. But then looking to the ditzy girl, she gave a bit of a mischievous smirk. "Maybe you ought to give him a bit of loving. That ought to jump start Kohta-san awake".

"Yukari-chan!" blushed Nyu. "You're too young to be talking about stuff like that". Although Nyu would admittedly say she was a bit of a pervert when it concerned social norms. However she knew when things were a bit too much.

Yukari gave a light laugh to this. "I'm sorry, knowing you I just had to say it". So after calming herself a bit she gave a light bow in respect to the occupants of the room. "Well I'm going to go back to see how Tsukune-san is doing now".

"Ohh, how is he doing? Is he awake?"

"Yes" the child witch nodded happily. "Tsukune-san had recently reawakened and seems to be back to his old self again. Plus all his injuries have fully healed which is really good".

"That's good" which Nyu softly smiled too.

"Alright, bye then" Yukari waved. "I hope Kohta-san gets better soon".

The ditzy girl smiled brightly as she waved back as the child witch left. But the moment she left, Nyu returned to her somewhat sad demeanor as she turned back to Kohta as there was still no change in his condition. As she looked to him, she reached out to hold his hand as she was saddened that she couldn't do anymore then this for him. But recalling what the tanned youth had said to Lucy before he fainted, she started to feel a bit troubled. "Kohta-kun . . . . Who is this Kaede person you keep talking about? . . . . You called me Kaede on more than one occasion . . . . Is there something you're trying to remember?"

Nyu then scooted closer as she folded her arms on his as she laid her head down to rest. "Kohta-kun . . . ." as her voice reflected concern. "Are you still going to be the same person when you wake up?" thinking back to the battle from before. However the ditzy girl then rubbed her head against his arm as she soon relaxed her body in place. "Please wake up soon Kohta-kun . . . ." to which she soon fell asleep.

~ Hospital ~ (a few hours later)

"Ahhhh!"

Nyu was at this time still fast asleep as she tilted a bit groaning. "Huh . . . ."

"Ahhhh! Help!"

The ditzy girl slowly picked up her head as the loud sounds roused her from her sleep. "What is that? What is with all the noise?"

"Ekkkkk! Someone help!"

As her mind started to clear up, Nyu immediately jumped up to see what was going on. So being wary of the situation, she slowly tip-toed to the door as she slowly cracked it open to see what was happening. Upon taking a peak out, Nyu became afraid at what she was seeing. Just outside a nurse was attacking everyone as she spared no man, woman, or child that crossed her path. The woman dressed nurse was using an attack she had never seen before as her fingers appeared to be long tendrils as they stabbed themselves into the necks of all the victims it could reach. Nyu fearfully closed the door as she changed position to keep watch of what was going on. "How terrible . . . . to kill this many people for no reason . . . . Who is that person?"

Then after finishing off everyone in the hall, the nurse soon walked off to some other area as all her victims laid on the ground apparently dead from what she could see.

"Oh no . . . . " as Nyu held her mouth as she was forced to witness such a horrible thing.

But then suddenly one of the patients started to stand up wobbly as they stabilized themselves on their feet.

"Thank goodness that he was OK" to which the ditzy girl was about to go out to confirm this.

Just before she was to leave, more of the patients started to get up which would normally be a good thing. However Nyu knew better as something about it didn't seem right. Deciding to hold off on her concerns, her wariness was rewarded as she continued to watch.

As the scene began to unfold, it was almost like a scene from a zombie film she watched as all the attacked patients started getting up like lifeless dolls as they started to drag themselves across the hall. "What is going on?"

"Tsukune . . . ." one of them chanted.

"Ehh?"

"Kill . . . . Tsukune . . . . Kill . . . . Tsukune . . . . Kill Tsukune" their voices slurred in unison with each other.

Nyu's eyes widened at their zombie like behavior as she started to cower back a bit. The patients that were stabbed then started to move as they twitched and dragged themselves down the hall. Just listening to them, it was obvious what they were out to do to which putting two to two together that the nurse that attacked them was part of the group that was gunning for Tsukune and Moka lives. However, "what am I supposed to do?" as she turned about sliding her back against the wall till she was sitting on the floor. She then held her face as her fear started to get to her. "I can't do anything without Kohta-kun's help. If the other me was awake, she could do something about this. But . . . . What am I supposed to do . . . . I can't help Tsukune-san with the way I am now" as she looked down is despair.

Her heart felt heavy as she was powerless to do anything for her friend as she was forced to stay aside and watch as these terrible things play out in front of her. "Kohta-kun . . . . What should I do?" She then looked to his bed as the tanned youth was still asleep and unable to give her an answer. But upon looking to his unconscious form, Nyu closed her eyes in thought before a moment later reopening them exerting a greater determination behind them. She soon stood up as she faced the door going out. "That's right! Kohta-kun would do something about it! Powers or not, he would do the right thing!" She then turned her head to look at the boy, "Just wait for me here OK Kohta-kun" she softly smiled. "I'll be right back" to which she left locking the door behind her ready to face the danger head on.

"_But what should I do?_" as she was now lurking around the corner to observe the mob of patients. "_Maybe my telepathy can do something_" to which she connected to the person closest to her. However upon connecting, "_it's not any form of hypnosis or spell casting . . . . is it some sort of drug effect?_" Then trying to dig deeper, "_they don't seem to be connected like a hive mind . . . . so they must all have been individually programmed_". Nyu then looked around as she spotted a fire extinguisher. Then making a grab for it, Nyu understood one definitive thing about this situation. Who she was facing were patients who were victims of the real perpetrator. So using violence against them would be no good as they were innocent people being used like puppets. "_So what I have to do is seal them up_". So spotting the zombified janitor, Nyu blasted him with the fire extinguisher. "_I don't know the full programming they've undergone. So they might attack me too_". As the janitor rubbed his face of what he was sprayed with Nyu promptly took that time to steal his keys. Then quickly studying what key opened and locked what, she popped the broom closet open, threw as many people as she could into it, and locked the door. Still finding more people under the influence, she quickly scanned the halls for empty rooms as she captured more of the infected in them.

However her span of successes was not to last as the zombie puppets were wising up.

"How many of them are there?" breathed out Nyu as she was tiring from her efforts. She still hadn't cleared out the floor she was on and there was still many of them left to deal with from what she saw. Getting ready to deal with the next group of infected, that was when the patients started getting hostile.

"Errrrrr" they slurred as they started fighting back now.

"Ahhh!" yelped Nyu at having her left arm clawed at. She then slouched a bit holding the wounded area as she started to back off from seeing the advancing hoard. Nyu's expression tightened at this, "I think I might be in trouble . . . ."

The patients were starting to revert to there more demonic instincts as some of them started growing claws while some were baring there fangs. At taking a few swipes at the ditzy girl, they were only successful at clawing her uniform with near paper thin misses to her actual body. But eventually some attacks did get in as Nyu suffered some minor shallow cuts.

"_What am I going to do now?_" Nyu then questioned as her fear started to overwrite her reason. In the classic fight or flight response, she really wanted to run now. "_But I can't! Our friends need help, but . . . ._" as she looked down as fear started to affect her mental and physical state. "I'm _not as brave or strong as Kohta-kun or Lucy . . . . but what am I supposed to do?_"

"_You dig in your heels and fight_".

Nyu's eyes snapped open as she looked to her side to see Lucy's projection standing next to her. She couldn't believe nor understand how this was happening. "_How can you be talking to me? We shouldn't have this kind of ability to interact with each other?_"

"_That doesn't matter right now. What I need you to do is focus on the here and now and fight back!_"

"_But I can't!_" Nyu stuttered. "_I don't know how to! Even so, they are innocent people. I can't fight them!_"

"_You fool_" as Lucy glared at her. "_It's either us or them and I refuse to die here because you were too gutless to do something about it_". The horned girl's projection then saw as Nyu was now cornered at a dead end hallway with no way out.

"_Someone . . . . help me . . . ._" as Nyu looked out fearfully.

"_No one is coming_" Lucy tried to argue. "_This is a fight you must handle on your own_".

"_But I . . . ._"

"_I'm not asking you to kill them. Just knocking them out should be sufficient_".

"_But I don't know how to fight_".

"_Just follow what I do and do as I say. If you do we might just survive this_".

"_Ehh!_"

One of the patient's then came in thrusting his claws at her.

"_Step forty-five degrees now!_" commanded Lucy to which Nyu did avoiding the attack. "_Now use your hand that's inside his guard and slam it against chin while moving your back leg to sweep his front and sweep hard!_" to which Nyu threw her opponent to the ground effortlessly.

"Sorry" Nyu apologized.

"_At least you follow orders well enough. But pay attention, we've got a battle to win_" to which command after command Nyu slowly but surely was holding her own. However due to her kind nature, it irritated Lucy at how her other would not do what was necessary in order to live. But then after twenty minutes of fighting, "_it was just as I feared_" as fatigue had more or less eaten away at Nyu's stamina.

The ditzy girl was breathing heavily as she tried to follow her others command. But it had come to a point where her muscles would no longer listen to her.

"_She doesn't have my vector which is making it hard for her to battle_". Then after a few minutes later, Nyu was down on her knees as she could no longer continue. "_What are you doing? Get up now! Or we're both dead!_" But her other was unresponsive as the leftover hoards began to tower over her. "_Damn it!_" as Lucy shut her eyes to this. "_For everything to come to an end like this . . . ._" After a moment and seeing her life has not yet come to an end she looked out to see that their attackers had now fallen unconscious. "_What?_" But then looking up at the ceiling that's when she felt a familiar presence. "_Moka?_"

"Thank goodness" smiled Nyu as she soon fallen back and has too fallen unconscious.

Lucy slightly gaped at this, but then sighed before giving a somewhat relieved smile.

* * *

~ Hospital ~ (sometime later)

Nyu at this time was sitting back in Kohta's room as she relaxed in her chair. Then looking to her bandaged arm, she closed her eyes only to reopen them to find Lucy's projection standing next to Kohta on his bedside. As noted before, Nyu didn't understand how she could be interacting with Lucy as her seal prohibited this. For the only way either of them knew what the other was up too was through recollection of their memories as they still shared that part with each other. Lucy herself didn't understand how it was possible for them to be communicating with each other in real time. But nonetheless it wasn't that important as neither of them minded how it happened. At seeing the opportunity, Nyu figured she could strike up a conversation with her other.

"_So . . . .Uhh . . . . how have you been?_"

"_._ _. ._ _._"

Nyu gave a bit of a pout at how Lucy was giving her the cold shoulder. I mean she had the vague idea to what kind of person Lucy was. But they were both the same person in the end right? So they should have had plenty of things to talk about. However the atmosphere around the horned girl somehow made it difficult to converse with her even though Lucy didn't seem to have any problems talking with Kohta before, so why should she? Then thinking of a topic she would at least get a response from, "_So uhh Lucy-san, who taught you how to fight? You seem so good at it_".

The horned girl looked to her briefly before looking back to Kohta. "_I don't know . . . ._"

"_Huh?_" as Nyu was now giving her a quizzical look.

"_Ever since you were young as I watched over you from the back of your mind, I always knew how to fight. I just didn't know how though. But then it didn't really matter either_".

Nyu's eyebrow perched at this. Just as she was about to question this someone came into the room.

"Is everything OK in here?" asked Yukari.

Lucy's projection disappeared as Nyu then turned to face the child witch. "Yes, Kohta-kun slept soundly through the entire event".

Yukari gave a light chuckle at this. "Thank goodness everyone turned out OK".

The ditzy girl nodded at this, "so the perpetrator was really part of the half-breeds group?"

"Yes, but thanks to the efforts of Tsukune-san and Moka-san she was caught and everyone was freed from her spell. Thankfully there were no deaths and injuries were relatively minor. So all the victims pulled through rather well".

"In good time" as Nyu gave a strained chuckle. "If it were a moment later then I could have been killed".

"Then thank goodness to that as well" happily nodded Yukari. "But you also helped them by holding off the main hoard which bought time for both Tsukune-san and Moka-san". The child witch then looked up as something caught her eye. "Did Kohta-san just move?"

The ditzy girl looked to her side to see that the tanned youth was indeed moving. Her eyes glowed ecstatically to his revival. "Kohta-kun! Thank goodness that you're awake now!"

Kohta grumbled a bit as he started sitting up. He then held his face as he tried to rub the weariness from his eyes.

Nyu happily took his hand as she looked to his face. "Are you feeling better now Kohta-kun?"

The tanned youth slowly opened his eyes as his focus began to clear up. As he started becoming fully conscious, he turned to look to the person holding his hand to which his grip started to get tighter.

"Oww, Kohta-kun you're hurting me" said Nyu as she grimaced at feeling her hand being squeezed. She then looked back to look into Kohta's eyes which reflected something she had never seen before. "Kohta-kun?"

"It was your fault" his voice reflected venomously.

"What?" as Nyu was starting to get scared as she tried to move away.

"You killed them! You're the one who killed my family!"

To be continued . . . .

* * *

Author's notes: I hope this chapter was an OK read.

Now this is where everything is going to change.

So I thank you all for reading this fic and I further extend my gratitude if you can review it as well.


	15. I Need to Know, Tell Me the Truth!

Rosario to Elf

Disclaimer: I do not own Elfen Lied, Rosario + Vampire, or any characters associated with either of the series.

"talking"

_thoughts_

* * *

I Need to Know, Tell Me the Truth!

* * *

"You killed them! You're the one who killed my family!" stated Kohta angrily.

Nyu started to get scared as she had to pull her hand back from feeling it being crushed. "Kohta-kun . . . ."

"Kohta-san! What's wrong with you?" exclaimed Yukari. "Why are you acting like this?" as she seemed ready to jump in if violence were to take place.

"This doesn't concern you!" as Kohta attempted to hold his temper off from the child witch. "This is between me and her!" as he now looked back to the ditzy girl as he seemed to be barely holding himself back.

"Kohta-kun . . . ." as Nyu was at a loss for words. "_I don't understand . . . ._ " as she started to quiver back in fear. "_Why are you so angry with me Kohta-kun? Why are you hurting me like this?_" as she now bit her lip in order to try to gain some semblance of reality. Kohta glared at her with a kind of intense rage she had never seen nor felt before, she felt her body weaken as her legs became wobbly as she held her hands close to her. "Please . . . . Kohta-kun . . . ."

However the tanned youth could only grind his teeth at this as just listening to her voice was edging him on. But squeezing his fist to gain some sense of sanity, "Why did you kill my family? Kanae . . . . Father . . . ." as his teeth clenched tighter at this as tears began to slowly appear. "You killed them . . . . Eight years ago, right in front of me! Why did you kill them?" as he shouted this last part out.

"_I don't understand . . . . I don't understand . . . . I don't understand . . . ._" as Nyu's eyes were wide like saucers as she started to retreat further from him.

Yukari was also shocked at what she was hearing. "_This can't be true . . . . Did Nyu-san really do all that? Or was it Lucy-san?_". "Calm down Kohta-san" as she was now attempting to calm the situation. "You were just dreaming you know. There's no way Nyu-san could do something like that".

"I know what I saw" as he attempted to lower his voice to Yukari. "I remember now. She was there eight years ago on the train where she slaughtered my father and sister as she stood over their bodies covered in their blood. Oh god . . . ." as he held half his face in his hands, "there was so much blood! So much blood!"

"Kohta-kun . . . ." her voice quivered as she slowly started to approach him again. "I don't . . . ." but then fell silent under Kohta's glare, "please Kohta-kun listen to me. I don't . . . ."

"Get out . . . ." as he looked to her past his fingers. "Get out right now . . . ."

"But Kohta-kun" as Nyu attempted to explain, "eight years ago I . . . ."

But that's when Kohta's conduit lines began to light up on his hand and forearm. "That wasn't a request. If you don't leave right now . . . . I will kill you where you stand . . . ."

"Kohta-kun . . . ." but that's when a stand next to her exploded just from a simple twist of his wrist which caused her to jump back a bit as her expression showed that of pure fear at seeing how furious Kohta was.

"Get out!" he shouted to which Nyu immediately left to not further aggravate the situation.

Yukari could only watch as she knew Kohta was serious about what he just said. She couldn't understand what had just happened before her now. "_Such a strong friendship just to come to an end like this . . . .What's going on here?_" The child witch knew she should not try to do anything further as Kohta's emotional state was unpredictable. If she were to say the wrong thing, she could possibly incur the tanned youth's wrath upon herself as well. So for the best she decided to leave giving Kohta his time to be alone. "_I'll have to talk to him later . . . . . Maybe Tsukune-san and everyone else can talk some sense into him_" and with that she left leaving Kohta alone.

Now as the tanned youth sat in his bed, his eyes became shadowed underneath his bangs. As he gripped his blankets tightly, his teeth were clenched tightly as it was clear to see how tormented he was as now tears were beginning to stream down the sides of his cheeks. "Father . . . . Kanae . . . ."

* * *

~ Youkai Academy ~ (one week later)

At this time Tsukune, Moka, Kurumu, Mirzore, Yukari, and Ruby were gathered to talk about the new dilemma that had appeared before them now.

"And that's the thing" said Yukari sadly. "Is there something we can do about this? Kohta-san hasn't come to school since he left the hospital last week and Nyu-san" as she looked to her from across the lobby area to see that the ditzy girl was . . . . hollow by comparison to her usual self as her spirit seem diminished from what her usual self used to be. "I tried talking to her, but I don't seem to be able to shake her out of her sorrow. What happened with Kohta-san seems to be really bothering her . . . ."

Tsukune looked down at this. "The situation is a rather complicated one. But I'm certain that there has to be an explanation behind it all. It can't be just as clear cut as this".

"But if what Kohta said is actually true . . . ." then said Moka as she looked down as well. "I don't think that their relationship can really be repaired".

"But it can't be" then shot Kurumu as she stood up in outrage to this. "Something like that couldn't have possibly happened. It just too strange isn't it? How could both of them forget something as important as that?" Kurumu then looked away narrowing her eyes as she closed her hand into a fist bringing it to her chest. "Besides, it can't possibly end like this . . . ." She was a succubus. As a succubus, her species lived for the idea of love. Sure, she may not have been the smartest person around or the most observant. But deep down by her own eyes, she knew that those two really cared about each other. And just to see their relationship end like this, "it just can't end. Not like this . . . ."

Mizore, even in her somewhat apathetic persona felt something from this. "But she killed his father and sister. That's just a fact you can't turn away from. If Kohta does forgive her, what more can you ask from him then? Things can't possibly go back to the way it was".

Ruby could only sadly nod to this. "Even if Kohta-san forgives her, her very presence would always be a constant reminder of what she did to him . . . ." to which the Goth witch could empathize at the kind of hate the tanned youth was feeling. "But that makes it just as important to help him through this by helping Kohta-san with letting go of his anger".

Tsukune gave a nod to this. "We'll talk to both of them then. We need to at least get to the bottom of this in order to get a clear picture of what actually happened eight years ago between them".

The group then gave a nod to this. So with their meeting concluded Tsukune, Moka, and Kurumu went off to have a talk with Kohta while Yukari, Mizore, and Ruby went off to have a talk with Nyu. Catching her before she left the lobby, Yukari grabbed for hand as she firmly held it to catch her attention. "Nyu-san, can we have a talk with you please?"

* * *

~ Girl's Dormitory (Nyu's room) ~

Yukari, Ruby, and Mizore sat around the table as Nyu soon returned with a tray with four cups of tea on it. "Sorry, I wasn't expecting to have any guests over today. So I didn't have time to prepare any snacks for you all".

"Its fine" said Ruby.

"We barged in like this. So we shouldn't have expected much" as Mizore chilled her drink in order to drink her tea cold.

"But the reason why we're here" as Yukari paused for a minute to think about how she wanted to word her statement, "is what Kohta-san said true?" to which Nyu cringed a bit at the memory of what happened at the hospital. "Did you really kill his family?" which made her; Ruby, and Mizore look to her for an answer. As they watched her, they looked for any kind of tell which could indicate that she might have been lying.

The ditzy girl then took a seat at the table as the girls looked to her waiting for her to answer. As Nyu took a sip of her tea to calm herself, she placed her cup down as she looked to them now. "I . . . . I don't know . . . ."

"You don't know?" Yukari questioned.

"But how can that be?" then questioned Ruby. "Kohta-san's accusation is a rather extreme and serious one, and he seemed rather bitter about it. How can you not know if you did or didn't do it?"

"Did you simply forget?" then asked Mizore stoically as she took a sip of her tea.

Nyu looked down as there were so many questions that bombarded her at once. But then she simply shook her head to all this. "I can't remember what happened eight years ago . . . ." as she now looked extremely saddened. " . . . . Every time I tried to remember my head started to hurt a lot which forced me to stop . . . ."

"But then is there anyone else who could know? There has to have been a witness all those years ago".

Nyu shook her head weakly at this as she continued to look down. "I called my okaasan . . . . But she doesn't really know what happened either or maybe . . . . she won't tell me".

"What makes you think that?"

"I could tell something was off from okaasan . . . . I could tell from her voice that she was keeping something from me . . . ."

"But if she's lying then couldn't you use your telepathy to get the truth?" asked Yukari.

"Or you could do it by force" as Mizore extended her ice claws to which Ruby made her put away.

Nyu shook her head to this as well. "Even if okaasan lied to me, I know she would only do it because she had a good reason to do so". Then closing her eyes to think about it, "but even if I tried to use my telepathy on her, okaasan is special as her mind is closed to me making it impossible for me to see what dwells in her mind . . . ."

The girls gave a heavy sigh to this. "So this led us nowhere in the end" as Yukari frowned. "We didn't really learn anything new and the only one who will tell us anything is Kohta-san, and there is no way we can get an unbiased answer from him . . . ."

Ruby then looked to Nyu to see her rather downcast as she looked to the rest of her group. The Goth witch then narrowed her eyes as if in deep thought about something to which she turned back to Nyu. "It hasn't occurred to me before but . . . . You said that every time you tried your head started to hurt right?"

"Yes" she nodded.

"But can you describe the feeling a bit more?" as Ruby then started to look to her with more intensity.

"Why?"

"If I'm right . . . . then I might know why you can't remember what happened eight years ago".

Nyu looked to Ruby as she then looked to Yukari and Mizore who were waiting for her explanation. She then closed her eyes as she attempted to recall the events of eight years ago. As this was going on an intense feeling began to overtake her as her face hardened as she now started to hold her head in pain.

"Nyu-san!"

"Stop it, if it's becoming too painful you should stop!"

"No!" then said Nyu. "The feeling I'm getting . . . ." as she tried to focus herself. "It's like there's a wall there. I can't get passed it as it keeps repelling me each time I try to remember". Tears then started to form in her closed eyes as her expression started to look more strained. "It hurts so much! Please stop! Make it stop! Don't hurt them anymore!"

"Nyu-san stop it!" as Ruby grabbed for her hand pulling it off her head which instantly snapped Nyu out of whatever had gotten a hold of her.

"Did I. . . . " as Nyu rubbed her eyes dry. "Did I say something strange?"

The Goth witch looked to her as she then looked to Yukari to which both witches gave a nod to each other in agreement as they now understood what this meant. "You didn't forget nor did you repress it. It looks like a spell was placed on you so you wouldn't remember what happened eight years ago".

Yukari then waved her wand over her, "and by the looks of it, whoever did this was a very powerful spell caster. If I didn't know what I was looking for I'm pretty sure neither Ruby-san nor I would have ever known there was a spell like this on you".

"Can this spell be removed?" questioned Nyu. "Will I be able to remember then?"

"Yes" then said Ruby. "But looking at the caliber of this spell . . . . It's way out of our league. Whoever did this to you was trying to cover something up. I'm not even sure if the headmaster can break this kind of spell".

"I see" then said Nyu sadly.

Yukari then waved her wand over her again to which several spell circles began to appear around Nyu's head. But then a moment later the circles started to grow smaller as they then started to circle around Nyu's bracelet. "Nyu-san, where did you get that bracelet from?"

"This?" as she raised her wrist. "I don't know. I've had this ever since I could remember".

"Can't you just take it off?"

"No, I've tried before".

"But Nyu-san, what does the bracelet actually do?"

"It hides my horns from sight and seals a good deal of my powers. When Kohta-kun touches my bracelet, Lucy-chan wakes up from inside me".

"Hmm, but has Lucy-san always been there?"

"Yes as okaasan has told me about her once but not much. It was actually when I met Kohta-kun that Lucy-chan was able to wake up inside of me for the first time".

Yukari then looked to Ruby as they both tried to understand this puzzle. There were so many pieces yet not enough answers, and to add more to this already complex problem Yukari's analysis spell was spitting out some rather complicated data. But looking at the spell algorithm which composed Nyu's bracelet, something about the spell design seemed rather familiar.

Mizore wasn't really following along as this was just a bit too complicated for her to understand. She then looked out the window to the boy's dormitory. "I wonder how Tsukune's group is doing".

* * *

~ Boy's Dormitory (Kohta's room) ~

"Hello? Is anyone in there?" as Tsukune knocked on the door again. But there was no response as the boy soon looked back to his group.

"Could it be that Kohta isn't home?" asked Moka.

"The people around here says he's home" said Kurumu. She then looked down in thought before looking up again. "Couldn't I just modify my charm spell? If I do so I can make him forget whatever he remembered".

Tsukune sadly shook his head at this. "Covering up the truth won't make anything better. Besides we still don't entirely know what happened. Until then we can't fix anything until we know the truth".

"Who's out there?" as the door creaked open to reveal a really tired looking Kohta as it was apparent he had dark circles around his eyes as his facial appearance seemed a bit paler.

"It's us" the meek boy responded, "can we come in for a while?"

Kohta carefully scanned who was outside before nodding as he opened his door to allow them to enter. Sensing what they were going to ask, he soon took a seat at his table as he knew they were not going to leave him alone until they got whatever they wanted off their chest.

"Uhh Kohta, would it be OK that I prepare some tea for us?" Moka asked carefully.

". . . . Do whatever you want" as he waved her off.

A moment later, the pink vampire returned with tea in hand as she served everyone at the table as they took a moment in silence to prepare themselves for what they were about to get into.

But then after a good duration of time, "Kohta-san" as Tsukune attempted to gauge the tanned youth's reaction. "Is it true? Did Nyu-san really kill your family?" He then shuddered as he could almost feel Kohta's glaring eyes beaming at him.

"I know what I saw. She killed my father and sister right in front of me!"

"But how can you be so certain?" asked Moka. "Couldn't it have been someone else?"

"There was no mistaking it!" Kohta then shot at her. "Her appearance, her powers, there is no mistake that she was the one responsible for this!"

"Then couldn't it have been someone that looked like her?" then asked Kurumu. "I mean there has to be a hundred demons out there that look like her or similar to her you know".

Kohta gave a heavy sigh to this as he held his face while trying to calm himself at how infuriating this all was. "I know what you're all trying to do and listen to me when I say this as I'll only say this once . . . . just let it go already" as he put his hands down giving them all a rather stern look. "None of you are going to change my mind about this because if I see her again . . . . I don't know if I'll be able to hold myself back from trying to kill her".

"But how can you be so certain it was her?"

The tanned youth then stood up abruptly which made everyone at the table jump. "If you want my proof so badly then fine!" to which his conduit lines began to light up, and then with a quick wave of his hands the scenery around them began to distort and melt away as it was soon replaced by another one.

"What is this?"

"My memories . . . ." as Kohta looked to the surroundings around him. At this moment they were all standing in what appeared to be a train.

But as Tsukune looked around, he couldn't help but notice that something was wrong. "What's with all the distortions?" Just looking around, the train cart seems to have been warped unusually as parts of the cart were missing or bent weirdly. "_It's like a weird pixilation problem_".

"But I don't understand" then said Moka.

"Just keep watching . . . ." Just momentarily more images began to appear as a young dark haired boy was holding half a little girl as an adult sized male was decapitated only a few feet in front of him. Just in front of that was a pink haired girl with her back faced to them who appeared to have been soaked in their blood.

"Why?" the boy cried out. "Why did you do this? Why did you have to kill father and Kanae? They had nothing to do with this!"

As the short pink haired girl began to turn around it was apparent there were two horns on her head, but strangely her eyes were blurred out. But what was most noticeable was the malicious smile she had spread across her face. For the aura that they felt from this image reflected that of a person who had no sense of guilt or remorse for what they had just done.

"Answer me! The one you wanted was me wasn't it? Then you should have come after me!"

The horned girl without a word turned about as she then started to approach him, but that's when everything froze.

"That's all there is to this memory" said Kohta as he narrowed his eyes. The image soon disappeared as he took his seat back at the table. "During the week I was a sleep this memory kept appearing over and over again for me to watch as bit by bit it started to clear up and extend with duration . . . ." He then squeezed his fist on the table as his eyes started to redden. "You have no idea how much I tried to deny this, how much I tried to believe this was fake. With every attempt to prove it wrong . . . . It became just too painful . . . ."

"But there has to be an answer!" as Tsukune shot up from his seat, "it can't be what it seems!"

But upon finishing his statement, Kohta too shot up as he angrily grabbed his shirt bringing them face to face with each other. "Then what the hell was this supposed to mean! She killed my family just to get to me! What's so goddamn important about me that it was worth killing my family over?" His expression then started to sag as his hands started to weaken as they fell to the table. "She was my friend . . . . I trusted her . . . . How the hell am I supposed to feel about this . . . . But yet . . . . She doesn't remember any of this . . . ."

Tsukune grimaced at this as he then looked away as he couldn't argue this further. Moka and Kurumu could only do the same as they could not argue what they saw.

"Please leave now . . . ." to which with that the discussion was over as the trio got up to leave.

But before leaving Kurumu turned back to look at Kohta, "please don't let it end. Not like this between you and Nyu". At saying this it earned her a glare from the tanned youth. But she didn't allow this to weaken her resolve, "but please let me try something. There might be something I can uncover that you couldn't do on your own".

Kohta could only give a sigh to this as he rubbed his face. ". . . . Will you leave me alone then?"

"Yes" as Kurumu nodded strongly to this. "Just please, give me the chance to try".

" . . . . Fine, tomorrow then" as he soon pushed the group out the door closing the door behind them.

"Kurumu-chan?" Tsukune questioned.

"There's just one last thing I want to try".

* * *

~ Youkai Academy ~ (the next day)

"So are you feeling better today Nyu-san?" asked Yukari as the day was currently coming to an end.

"Yes" Nyu weakly smiled. "I feel a bit better after talking about it . . . . But . . . ."

"You still miss Kohta-san don't you?"

The ditzy girl gave a nod to this. "I know Kohta-kun is angry with me . . . . I just wish I understood . . . ."

"It's complicated . . . . " as Yukari then looked away.

Nyu looked saddened at this. "Even after hearing about it . . . . I didn't do any of that! I know I didn't . . . . " to which tears started to form.

"It's OK Nyu-san" as she started to rub her lower back. "I'm sure this is all just a misunderstanding. Besides Kurumu-san is going over to Kohta-san to see if she can find a clue that they missed", "_although I highly doubt it considering her intelligence level . . . ._"

"Thank you for your help Yukari-chan and everyone else who tried to help us get through this. But . . . ." as she now seemed to have been drifting away. "Maybe it was fate that Kohta-kun and I were not meant to be together like this . . . ."

Yukari could only look downcast at this. "Nyu-san . . . ."

"I'll be going now. So I'll be seeing you later now Yukari-chan" as she then walked away.

The child witch's eyes reflected sadly at this. "_Kurumu-san . . . . I hope you were able to find something . . . ._" and with that she left.

Meanwhile lurking around the corner, "did you hear that? That guy isn't with her anymore. That makes her vulnerable doesn't it?" During this time the three delinquents that Lucy beat up at the beginning of the school year were huddled together as they conversed with each other about what they just learned.

"Are you sure she's vulnerable? She was crazy strong when we fought against her and it took us weeks just to heal from the beating she gave us!"

"You morons!" as the head delinquent slapped his two cohorts over the head, "weren't you two paying attention during the fight!" He then pushed his two cohorts to look at the currently distant diclonius girl. "When that guy was with her she suddenly changed and was able to fight. So this girl must be some sort of sealed version of her".

"Which means? Oww!" as he got smacked over the head.

"It means that she's totally defenseless and ripe for the picking boys".

The two cohorts looked at each other as they then looked back to the currently distant girl. "Right" as one of them sneered.

"I can't wait to pay her back for what she did to us in more ways than one".

As the head delinquent looked to the distant figure, many thoughts coursed through his mind with each thought much more sadistic and depraved as the last. "_I'm going to enjoy teaching that pink b**ch some manners_".

* * *

~ Boy's Dormitory (Kohta's room) ~

"Kohta!" as Kurumu knocked on his door. "I'm here; can you please open your door?"

The door soon opened to reveal the tanned youth as he waved his hand motioning for her to enter. "So what can you possibly do?"

"I'm a succubus remember" as Kurumu tried to put on a calming smile. "The mind of any creature is child's play to us".

Kohta just simply look to her before shaking his head. "Let's just get this over with. What do I need to do?"

The blue succubus then made a motion with her hand. "Just go lay down on your bed and I'll take care of the rest". The tanned youth did as he was told as he then lay down. Kurumu soon took one of his chairs as she took a seat next to him. "Now close your eyes and relax this next part is going to be a bit . . . . weird" which caused Kohta to look at her strangely, "go on, close your eyes!" as he then shut them again. Kurumu soon closed her eyes as her tail began to sprout out. Out from the tip of her tail, suction like cup began to form as she then placed the end on Kohta's forehead. Upon contact that was when it began as the duo suddenly had a strange feeling of falling. But then after moment, "_what is all this?_" as she felt like she was still falling into the abyss of Kohta's mind. But mentally controlling her orientation, she balanced herself as she then started to glide around. "_I've never seen such a mental state like this before . . . . What kind of creature could he possibly be?_"

"Kurumu-san? Where are you? I can't see where I am!" shouted Kohta out from the darkness.

Kurumu looked around. For the life of her she couldn't understand why everything was so dark like this. If things were going to be like this she was never going to find what she was looking for. "What am I going to do?"

"Then please allow me to guide the way" to which a small patch of light then appeared as a young Kohta was now standing there.

At seeing this, both Kurumu and Kohta moved towards the light where the boy was currently standing. "Who is this?" as she pointed to the boy.

"I'm not exactly sure what he is. But he helped me out when I got lost here" said the tanned youth as he looked to his younger self.

"Yes, but you're not supposed to be outside your library". He then scanned Kohta up and down for a minute. ". . . . It would appear you came here to learn truth now. Hmm, I guess you're about ready to hear it. However . . . ." as he looked to Kurumu, "Nyu-chan is the one who is supposed to be here. Not this beautiful young lady".

The blue succubus had to say she was a bit flattered by what the boy said, but soon shook her head to this. "Enough already" then said Kurumu. "We're here to solve a mystery. If you're not going to be of any help then move aside" she then said aggressively as she then started to show her very sharp claws.

"Now now, there is now need to be violent. But still . . . ." as little Kohta looked to her. "I'm supposed to wait when Nyu-chan get's here. But if you want to see what big me has already seen then you're more than welcomed to it" and with a snap of his fingers they were both in Kohta's library right at the section where the mysterious black book was.

Kohta gave a sigh to how troublesome this was all becoming. "I'll just show you the memory now . . . ."

As the tanned youth was reaching for the book, Kurumu was still slightly baffled at what had just occurred just moment ago. "_What are you Kohta? For a succubus to be pushed around like that in someone's mind . . . . you have to be something beyond ordinary . . . ._" But then shaking her mind of this she had a job to do and she needed to find some clue of doubt which would shine some hope that Nyu was innocent of what happened. "_Please let there be something . . . ._"

* * *

~ Forest ~ (later afternoon)

"_I wonder what I should do_" Nyu pondered. "_Maybe if I bake Kohta-kun a cake he'll feel better_" she tried to think optimistically. But then her expression sank at this. "_Who am I kidding . . . . Kohta-kun hates me . . . . and I still don't understand . . . ._" Even after hearing everything from Moka and the proof behind it, she still couldn't understand. But then she couldn't deny that there was just too many coincidences that she herself could not turn away from. "_But if I really did kill Kohta-kun's family . . . . Oh no . . . ._" she thought painfully as she started to feel herself wanting to cry again.

"Oi oi you look rather sad there girlie. Do you want a shoulder to cry on?"

Nyu immediately looked up as she stopped where she stood only to start walking back. "You're those delinquents. The ones 'I' beat up on the first day".

"Yeah that's right and we've gotten a whole lot stronger since then to which we'd love to use your body to show you just how strong we've gotten" one of them snickered.

Deciding not to wait any longer Nyu made a run for it. "Help! Someone! Anyone!" But before she could get far enough, one of the hoodlums appeared in front of her.

"Now now, we can't have you running off on your own like that. Then where would our fun be then huh?"

Nyu immediately turned towards another direction to run only to be stopped again. "And where do you think you're going?" However she then pushed passed him as she continued to run. "Feisty isn't she? This is going to be fun".

As the ditzy girl continued to run for her life, anxiety began to weigh heavily on her shoulders. With each step she took, the very simple act of breathing was becoming hard as she was scared. No, she was beyond scared as she was terrified of what those delinquents would do to her if they caught her. With no one around, she didn't know what to do. "_Please anyone! Please help me!_" she screamed out telepathically. But in that instant, Kohta's image flashed in her mind which made her shake her head. "_I can't, he won't come for me . . . ._" So running deeper into the woods, she hoped she could lose the delinquents there. However that would not be the case . . . .

"That's enough with the foreplay now" as one of the hoodlums grabbed the back of Nyu's head slamming her right into a tree. Upon letting go, the pink haired girl slid down as she crumpled to the ground. But slowly she soon sat up holding her forehead as it was slightly bleeding as the three delinquents were now towering over her. "So what do you think we should do to her first boss?"

The head delinquent used his actions to answer as one his claws materialized. With one quick swipe, the entire front part of Nyu's shirt was shredded revealing her chest and bra to which she immediately attempted to cover up. "What a sight isn't it boys? For a complete b**ch, she does have a nice body" as he licked his lips disgustingly at this. "Now let's have our fun with her".

"Yeah!" as the other two cohorts attempted to rip off more.

"No! Stop!" as Nyu tried to struggle, but it was futile. Her body was already too weakened from anxiety and without Lucy's powers she was only as strong as any other girl. Nyu then started to feel her heart break under the stress of the situation. As she shut her eyes, she prayed with all her might that this was just some bad dream she was going to wake up from. But the tearing of her cloths and cuts to her skin immediately dragged her back to reality as she looked on fearfully to the three delinquents as they were going to have their way with her. As she shut her eyes caving into herself, she was at her limit of how much she could take. "_Please . . . . Anyone . . . . Help . . . . Kohta-kun!_"

"Come on move aside so I can have a feel" the demon delinquents drooled disgustingly. But then felt himself in immediate pain as one of his arms were twisted back. Upon looking, it was a tanned looking boy whose stare alone seemed like it could kill a person as pure rage reflected on his face. "Boss! It's that guy! That guy is here!" But was soon silenced as his head was punched so hard into the ground it created an impact crater.

Kohta then wasted no time going after the second delinquent. Giving him no time to react, he telekinetically pulled him away as he slammed him right into a tree. Then charging enough focus into his hands, blasted the hoodlum through the tree sending him crashing through a few more trees before stopping eventually after a few yards.

"That guy . . . . He was supposed to be a weakling!" growled the head delinquent as he was wide eye at seeing his cohorts easily dispatched. But now seeing the tanned youth approaching him, he quickly turned about dragging his victim to her feet as he got behind her using her as a meat shield. "Get back!" as he moved his claw hand over Nyu's stomach area. "I'll gut her! I swear I'll rip out her entire insides if you don't get back!" as he then started to dig his nails into her skin which caused Nyu to flinch a bit in pain. However Kohta stood his ground as he showed no signs of backing down. "I swear I'll do it! I'll really do it!"

But if he wasn't too distracted he would have realized that when it came to magic users, don't even let them flinch a finger. For with a quick motion of Kohta's index finger, every bone in the delinquents hand was dislocated to which he yelped in pain too. Wasting no time, the tanned youth dashed in moving right past Nyu as he grabbed the hoodlums face in his hand ramming his head right into the tree.

As the head delinquents looked fearfully passed his finger, "what the hell are you?"

" . . . . Someone you shouldn't have messed with" and with that he blasted the hoodlum through the tree as he would continue to fly for several feet to which now the danger was over.

At seeing the danger was over Nyu slowly gathered herself up as she took what remained of her cloths to cover herself. "Kohta-kun . . . ." which earned her his stare which caused her to flinch a bit, but after a slight pause "thank you . . . . for saving me . . . ."

As Kohta looked to her he closed his eyes for a moment before reopening them as he then took off his jacket and threw it to her.

Nyu hesitantly took the jacket putting it on as she now stood up to which the tanned youth then turned away from her. "Kohta-kun?"

". . . . I still haven't forgiven you for what you did . . . ."

". . . ."

"But there are still things that I don't understand now" as Kohta now thought back to what Kurumu was able to clear up, "nothing has changed in what I saw as you were still the one who killed my family. But . . . ." as he thought carefully to what he saw, "your eyes . . . . they told me something . . . ." as he focused to remember Nyu's eyes from then. "You were crying as they showed great pain and remorse behind them. Something a killer would never have . . . ." Kohta then closed his eyes to collect himself as he soon turned about to face the ditzy girl. "I want to know now . . . . The entire truth of what happened eight years ago between us" as he then looked into her eyes wanting to see her reaction. "Will you learn the truth with me?"

"Kohta-kun!" as Nyu became teary eyed at this as she hugged the tanned youth around the waist. As she rubbed her face in his chest, "_please . . . . please . . . ._" as she prayed "_whatever we may learn . . . . please don't make me part with Kohta-kun . . . ._"

Kohta was surprised at the sudden contact. The very girl he both hated and deeply cared for was holding him as it made him feel both happy yet disgusted that she was there. But then giving a deep sigh, he lifted one of his arms to return the affection. "_For your sake and for mine . . . . Let us hope that there was more to see . . . ._"

* * *

~ Youkai Academy ~ (the next day after school)

"Thank you everyone for coming" said Kohta as he welcomed Tsukune and his group into the classroom they were using. "I'm glad that you were all able to come and help me with this".

"It's fine" said Tsukune. "But are you sure about this? We're going to be poking around in some personal matters in your life".

The tanned youth gave nod to this. "I don't know what we'll encounter during this dive so I wanted to get all the help I can get with this" as he looked to the other occupants of the room.

"Of course we'll help" chimed Yukari. "That's what friends are for aren't they?" to which Moka, Kurumu, Mizore, and Ruby gave a nod too.

"Alright then, everyone take a seat". Before everyone's arrival, Kohta and Nyu had already set up eight chairs in a circular formation.

One by one as they took their seats, "OK, I'm going to need everyone to hold hands for me to establish the link" to which everyone then took hands. As she rose to take Kohta's, he was hesitant for a moment to take hers. But then looking back to the entire group, "remember that we will be entering the world of the subconscious mind, so what would seem like hours to days in there will be like seconds to minutes here" to which everyone gave a nod too in understanding. "Now that everyone knows, let us begin".

* * *

~ Inner world ~

Now as everyone stood within Kohta's library, the tanned youth guided the way to the mysterious door. Upon arrival he knocked on the door as the locks that kept it closed immediately popped loose retreating into the wall.

The door then opened to reveal a young Kohta on the other side. "Welcome, I guess you're ready to hear my story now huh?" as the group gave a nod to this. "I see", the boy then gave a snap of his fingers to which in the next moment, they all found themselves in a forest like setting at night with several laid down logs with a campfire in the middle.

"What incredible manipulation" Kurumu marveled at seeing how their scenery had changed.

"I guess we'll finally learn the secret behind Kohta-san" said Yukari.

As everyone took their seats, young Kohta finally took his as he stared into the fire. As the blaze glowed in his eyes, a warm smile began to spread across his face. "The story I will tell you begins eight years ago in the cultural city of Yokohama, Japan. Although there are many elements that are needed to be told to understand this story, it is something that can be saved for another day. So as a prologue to this, I'll begin by saying it all started with a strange little boy on summer vacation. Now there wasn't anything wrong with him and he's never done anything bad. But no one in his life not even his family could really understand him. But nevertheless they loved him. However this strange little boy was always alone because no one could truly understand the depth of what he was. But then one day while out in the forest, that's when this strange little boy met this special little girl to which is where our story begins . . . ."

To be continued . . . .

* * *

Author's notes: This now concludes this chapter as I hoped everyone liked what they read as the next chapter will begin the memory flashback as we'll finally learn what happened eight years ago to which how Kohta and Nyu met and the incident that led up to the current story.

So I thank you all for reading this fic and I further extend my gratitude if you can review it as well.


	16. The Innocence of Youth

Rosario to Elf

Disclaimer: I do not own Elfen Lied, Rosario + Vampire, or any characters associated with either of the series.

"talking"

_thoughts_

* * *

The Innocence of Youth

* * *

~ Yokohama ~ (eight years ago)

"Father, I'm leaving now. I'll be back as soon as I can OK!" shouted Kohta as he was exiting his cousin's home with a sketch book in hand.

"Be careful son" called his father as he still continued to read his newspaper.

"But uncle" said Yuka, Kohta's cousin. "You shouldn't let Kohta go wandering like that!"

The elderly man gave a calm smile to this as he patted the brunette over the head. "You worry too much. You should know that Kohta is capable of taking care of himself. Plus if he does run into trouble, he knows what to do from there".

Yuka gave a slight pout to this. Looking to her cousin, she was very well aware of some of the amazing things he was capable of. But still it didn't stop her from worrying.

"Oniichan, can I come with you?" asked Kanae, Kohta's little sister. She then picked up her stuffed bunny plushie as she put it to her ear. "Bunny also says he wants to go as well".

"Sorry Kanae" Kohta softly smiled. "But I would like to take this trip on my own".

"Hmph!" as the child turned about showing a slight scowl.

"Ahh don't be like that" as he started rubbing the top of his sisters head. "I'll tell you what; I'll take you somewhere special sometime soon OK?"

Kanae soon turned around sporting a wide smile. "Anywhere I want right?" to which Kohta gave a nod too. "Yay! OK, I'll think about where I want to go then".

Kohta gave a strained chuckle to this. "Just make sure it wasn't as far as the last one OK". Then turning towards the door stepping outside, "Good-bye everyone, I'll see you all later" to which everyone waved him good-bye.

Now wandering the neighborhood of Yokohama, "I wonder what I should try drawing today. So much to see and yet never enough time to do it all". Looking about that's when he saw something peculiar, "what is going on there?" In front of him he saw a group of children around his age as they seemed to have been following a strange little orb of light which was floating around as it wobbled in the air as it went along. "That's interesting, what could this be about?" So seeing he had nothing better to do at the immediate moment, he decided to investigate as he followed the group of children from behind as they followed the orb as if under a hypnotic trance.

After what appeared to be a good hour of walking there was at least enough of them to fill in a classroom of thirty. As they continued to walk, Kohta looked around to see that they were now entering the business district. Looking about, many of the adults that walked by didn't even find it strange even in the slightest of a group children walking around without supervision. "_But how can you blame them?_" Kohta then thought as he looked to the orb of light. He could see the façade it emitted as it appeared to be in the form of a middle aged woman sort of looking like a day care worker. "_This isn't going to turn out well . . . ._"

Then after a bit of walking the group soon found itself walking down a dark alley way as they approached what appeared to be like a dead end with a large wall blocking their way. But soon enough the ball of light passed right through it as the group of children started filtering in slowly one after another. "_That's interesting_" as Kohta continued to watch. "_A perception filter . . . . Well at least it's good enough to keep away normal folks. But I wonder who is gutsy enough to be taking children like this in the middle of the day_". But then placing his hand to his chin in thought, "_I think I might need to call father_".

Once inside, one of Kohta's eyebrows arched at what he was seeing. It was like a direct scene out of a horror film as the room they had just entered was filled with tools from a slaughter house as some of the tools that were around had a kind of rusted look to them. Catching the stench in the air, "_blood . . . . And fresh too . . . ._" he then thought as his nose twitched at this. Normally, a sight like this would scare any child his age. Of course Kohta was slightly scared at what he had just walked into, but was still able to keep a level head in the situation he was in. So closing his eyes for a moment, he looked around to which he knew who was doing all this. "I see now . . . ."

Momentarily a huge looking demon emerged with reddish skin, large fangs, waving black hair, and two enormous horns on his head. As he walked out the demon was sporting a butcher's apron while holding a massive meat cleaver. "Such a scrumptious pickings we have today" chuckled the oni as his big yellow eyes scanned through what his little trap brought in. "But I wonder who I should start with first?"

"_An oni huh?_" then thought Kohta. "_And a primitive one too by the looks of it, nowhere near as refined as today's oni_".

"Which one to eat? Which one to eat?" the oni slobbered as he could barely contain his drool at how delectable all his victims looked. But upon scanning over his food, that's when one of the children caught his attention. Now looking at the tanned looking boy, his eyes didn't appear to be glossed over showing how he wasn't under hypnosis like the other children. If that were the case, he didn't even look as scared as he should be. "What do we have here? A little boy who doesn't know his place is it?"

Kohta just blinked at this as he tried to remain calm."Well truthfully I am kind of scared about what's happening" as he tried to steady his tone, "But you're a bad monster, and I was always told I should never be scared of bad monsters like you".

"Why you!" as he raised his cleaver knife, "then I'll give you a reason why you should be scared of me!" At swinging his knife down fully intending to cut Kohta in half, the oni became wide eye at what had just happened. "Impossible!" At that instantaneous moment, the tanned youth had completely stopped his weapon with just his index finger as a miniature spell circle emitted at the very tip of it.

"You should know better as to not cause trouble in the human world as written by demon law" as Kohta raised his other hand up lifting the oni telekinetically. "Demons like you who still think it's OK to do whatever they wish should have diminished a long time ago". But then his eyes twitched a bit at seeing the demon before him now giving out an ominous chuckle. "What's so funny?"

"With all these children" as the demon gave an ugly smile, "did you really think I was alone?"

Kohta's eyes went wide as he sensed the presence of others in the room to which looking back now a knife was only but a foot away from cutting him.

"Heh, got ya" but that's when the demon gaped as his victim was neither bleeding or bellowing out in pain as an arm had suddenly reached out from his shadow grabbing his knife before he could finish his strike.

"Now I can't be allowing you to be hurting my son on my watch" as now Kohta's father appeared to have been climbing out of his son's shadow as he was now back to back with him.

"Father!"

"You really have the weirdest way of getting caught in situations like this Kohta" as the elder man in an instant broke the blade in his hand as he raised his other hand to the demon's face blasting him away to which more oni began to filter into the room.

"Magis! Why is your kind getting into the affairs of us oni?"

"You should know better by now" as Kohta's father began emitting a kind of aura which began intimidating the oni. "It is against demon law for as ordered by all clans that no monster may purposely hurt let alone kill a human. So as an enforcer of this great law you are all under arrest".

"Father! You can't fight this many on your own!"

The elder man simply smirked at this. "I can easily handle these low level demons. But I have been teaching you to control your magic better. So I suppose this would be a good opportunity to get some practice".

"Yeah! I get to help father with his job!" as conduit lines began to light up on his skin before fading off as Kohta got into a fighting stance.

"Just don't get a head of me OK. Support me and follow my lead, do you understand?"

"Yes sir!" to which the battle began.

The red oni was absolutely dumbstruck to what he was seeing. A child and his father were fighting a group of adult demons who should have been physically stronger than them were being pushed around like they helpless children. The elder man was easily fighting off three of them at a time while his son blasted them from afar with some sort of concussive force while also teleporting in and out from the shadows every time an enemy got too close to him. With each attack the duo dealt out, the enemy numbers quickly dwindled until not many of them were left.

"Attack the children! That should offset them!" But as some of the oni tried, they were immediately stopped as they suddenly couldn't move. Then looking down they saw shadow like arms twisted around them inhibiting their movements.

Kohta then teleported in front of them as he waved his finger to them, "There is no need to be doing something as mean as that is there?" to which he soon blasted them all back. But then after a little more time the battle was finished as Kohta and his father gathered all the beaten demons to one corner as a restriction spell was placed on them all.

"Feel grateful that I spared your lives" said Kohta's father. "This incident will be reported back to your clans as they will be responsible for your punishment" as he snapped his fingers which began his spell to send them away. But then looking to his son, he gave a calm smile. "Kohta, I'll stay and clean up here. So please take these children home now".

"Yes father!" Kohta chimed as he guided the group out. Upon leading them out, the spell on the children began to wear off as some of them began to look around quite bewildered to which panic slowly started to settle in. Kohta then out a sigh, "This might be quite the mess to sort out . . . ."

"Where are we?"

"Wahh, I'm scared!"

"I want my mommy!"

Kohta then gave a slight sigh to this, "yep troublesome indeed" he quietly said to himself. So putting on the best smile he could, "Hey, can everyone listen up for a moment?"

"Why would we do that?"

"I want my mommy!"

"I want to go home!"

Kohta then closed his eyes as he focused on the spell he wanted to use as he faced towards them as he raised his hand. "_It's better that they forget this incident ever happened. How did father's spell go again?_" to which several spell circles formed around the children before dissipating in which they started to look around confused.

"Where are we?"

"Why are we here?"

"Oh yeah, we were on a field trip. But how did we get here? And where is our guardian?"

"_Memory alteration a success_", so giving a cough to catch their attention "actually the teacher just told us to go home. So please do so now while there is still plenty of sunlight".

"How lame" said one of the kids, "this field trip sucked".

"Yeah, let's go home".

"Uhh, excuse me . . . ." as some of the kids looked to Kohta. "We . . . . Don't know how to get home . . . ."

"That's perfectly alright" he smiled. "I'll take you all home. All I need is either your address or at least a good description to which I'll take care of the rest". Then after a good two hours Kohta took them all back to their homes which left a single boy unaccounted for. "So where do you live?"

The boy remained silent to this as he looked away.

"Is there something wrong?"

". . . ."

"Do you not know where you live?"

". . . . It's not like that".

"Hmm? Then what is it?"

The boy then rubbed the back of his head as he pointed to a certain direction. ". . . . I live up on those hills".

Kohta looked at the said direction as his eyebrow arched at this to which he instantly understood why this boy didn't just head home. "_He's an orphan_", "so you don't want to go home or something?"

The boy shook his head to this. "I just wanted to spend time away from that place. It's kind of suffocating being there . . . ."

"I see".

"But I was suppose to return back a while ago to deliver an item. Honestly, I don't really want to go back yet as I was supposed to be hanging out with some friends here. Although . . . ." as he thought about it, "I'm not sure . . . . Why I'm not currently with them".

Kohta gave a strained laugh to this. "Well . . . ." Kohta then thought "maybe I can go there and deliver the item for you if that's alright with you".

The boys face brightened at this. "Thank you so much!" as he pulled a small booklet from his pocket handing it to him. "You can just drop it off at the front door. I've already left a note inside. So thanks again for your help" as he soon ran off.

At seeing this all Kohta could do was let out a light sigh as he smiled a bit.

* * *

~ Hillside ~

Kohta at this time was humming to himself as he walked up the hill towards the orphanage. "Sure has been a while since I've been through this forest" to which he soon saw a building up a head. "Well since I'm here, I guess I can pick some scenery from around to draw". But upon approaching the front door that's when a chilling sensation hit him as his eyes widened in shock. "_This feeling . . . . It's death_". Of course he knew death was always around him as it was a constant in the universe. However for it to be at an orphanage and the feeling to be this thick, ". . . . Maybe . . . . I should take a look at this".

So finding a big tree which casted a large enough shadow, Kohta stood within it as he closed his eyes focusing on where he was going. Pinpointing his location, he sank into the shadow to which in the next moment found himself in a room that even the most heinous of murderers would find disgusting. Looking around, the sight was rather grotesque as there were body parts and internal organs littering the floor all around him. Even the walls and furniture were red as they were painted in the blood of its victims. At this disturbing sight, Kohta tried not to vomit at what he saw. But then noticed an extra presence in the room, he then looked to it to see a female dressed in black robes as she was holding some kind of notepad. "Shinigami, can you please tell me what has happened here".

The reaper of death looked to him before giving a slow nod, "_. . . . This feeling, it's 'him' isn't it? But I guess 'he' hasn't awakened yet . . . . I suppose it wouldn't matter if I answer him or not_". She then picked her pad up as she scrolled through it. "The victims here are three boys, one girl, and a dog".

"This is horrible, was this done by a demon?"

Scrolling through her pad, she then looked back to Kohta. ". . . . We don't know".

The tanned youth quirked his eye at this as he looked to her to further explain.

"The record is sketchy at best. But we do know that the dog died by being beaten to death by that boy" pointing to his dismembered head which made Kohta feel queasy at the sight.

" . . . . And what of them all?" indicating the other corpses still trying not to look at them.

" . . . . Uncertain".

"Are you saying you have no idea? This had to have been done by a demon or at least by some sort of half breed".

"No, there are rules behind this and no demon would be foolish enough to break them in such a blunt way like this". So looking back to her notepad, her eyebrow rose at this. "That's interesting . . . ."

"What is? What does it say?"

"According to the data, this . . . . was done by a human. But more specifically by a little girl who is or rather at this time was a resident of this facility".

"A human did this? There has to be a mistake".

"That's where the data gets a bit weird . . . . We don't really understand how she did this as this wasn't a form of magic. Only the fact she was the direct cause of these deaths".

" . . . . Ok, so who is she? What's her name? Actually never mind, I'll look into this myself" as he slightly intrigued in playing detective right now. "But about these kids . . . . did they really have to meet their end like this?"

"As a magi, your kind should know best how the cycle works" as the shinigami raised two fingers up drawing a circle with her hands. "Life and death must only go in one direction. That's how it's always been and that's how it must always be".

"I see" Kohta then said sadly. But then spotting the puppies soul he looked to the shinigami. "Can I take him with me then?"

The death god gave a nod to this. "You may, I see no reason why you can't".

"Thanks" as he faced the puppy still looking shaken up from his earlier ordeal, "it's OK, you can come with me" to which a moment later the puppy wagged its tail as he ran and disappeared into his art book. "You'll be OK now little guy" to which he then put his art book away as he teleported out.

* * *

~ Forest (elsewhere) ~

"I'm so sick of everything . . . . I'm so sick of everyone . . . ." At this time a young girl of seven years with pink hair and horns on the side of her head stood in front of a large tree with a stone placed at the base of it. After what had happened to her dog, it was too much for her to face the young canine's corpse. So in his memory she placed a stone at the base of the tree as his grave marker. " . . . . It's my fault. If I had taken better care of you . . . . You would have still been alive . . . ." Her face then scrunched at this. "Why? Why are people always trying to hurt me? Is it just because I have horns?" as her eyes narrowed at this as she grabbed the bone appendages squeezing them in her hands.

She then let out a sigh as she relaxed her arms to her side. "So what am I going to do now? I just killed some people . . . . But I don't feel sorry for what I did". Those 'people' were her bullies who did everything and anything they could do to hurt her. In their last and absolute act of cruelty, one of them betrayed her trust as they all killed her puppy right in front of her for the sake of a laugh. "But what am I going to do now?" she now wondered. Looking herself up and down, the only real possessions she had in her name were the cloths on her back which were one set of undergarments, shoes, a red skirt, and a button up white shirt. But seeing the invisible hands stretching out from her, "but with these powers . . . . I'll just take what I want".

"_That's right, take whatever you want. There's no force in the world that could possibly stop you now_".

The horned girl just nodded her head at this. She didn't really understand what it was only that it was some sort of voice in her head. But nonetheless it made perfect sense in what it told her. "Yes, I'll take whatever I want in this world and no one will ever hurt me again". But then hearing a cracking branch behind her, she turned to see a boy standing there looking at her.

"Are you OK? You don't look so well" to which he then looked to her more closely. "And your head . . . . Are those horns real?"

". . . . So tiresome" to which in an instant she sent her psychic hand at him fully intending to kill him, she was just completely fed up with people who looked at her like she was a freak.

Kohta saw the translucent hands coming right at him as it surprised him that this girl would just attack him so suddenly. Out of instinct, a circular shield of runes appeared to stop this attack. However the psychic hands still kept coming as it passed right through his shield. In gut impulse, his eyes clamped shut expecting to find himself in pain. But seeing he wasn't hurting, he slowly opened his eyes to see the translucent hands just an inch away as he looked to see the pale girl frozen stiff as she shook slightly as if she had just seen a ghost.

The horned girl couldn't understand what came over her. For it was almost like a thick blanket of fear had draped itself around her as she felt every muscle in her body completely freeze up. Beginning to feel her consciousness waver, she soon passed out to the ground.

Kohta scratched the back of his head to this. "What was that about?" but then looking to her quizzically, "well I guess I should take her someplace better". So picking her up, he pulled her till she was against the tree and took a seat next to her. Looking to the pale girl, he couldn't help but be curious. "Not a demon, not a half-breed. So what is she exactly? And what were those weird arms she was using? Hmm? What's wrong with her now?"

At looking to her face, she seemed to have a pained look on her face.

"A bad dream? Maybe I could see what's troubling her". So taking her hand, Kohta closed his eyes as he linked to her sub-consciousness.

* * *

~ Inner World ~

"That's interesting" inquired Kohta as he looked around in the girl's mind. "It's rather . . . . gloomy in here, and what's with all these mannequins?" as he saw a bunch of them standing around in no particular orientation or purpose to their placement, "hmm I wonder what their purpose is for . . . ."

"You do not belong here . . . ."

Kohta looked to see a girl peeking out from behind one of the mannequins as her head was completely bandaged revealing only one of her eyes. As she stood out, it was apparent she was in her birthday suit which forced him look away in embarrassment.

"Get out! You do not belong here! This mind is my territory!"

"So wait, you're the one that attacked me? Who or . . . . What are you exactly?"

"Your death!" as those translucent arms came at him again.

At seeing this Kohta ran for it. Even if he was just a mental projection, dying is still dying whether it was physically or mentally. "I think I might be able to lose her in those mannequins!" as he took refuge in the forest of dolls.

"Where are you?" the specter roared angrily. She scanned the area back and forth as she would not tolerate intruders in her territory. But after walking around, that's when she saw him. "There you are! Now die!"

However the victim in question simply turned about looking somewhat bored as he caught the specter around the neck as he started to apply pressure. Then looking the creature in the eye, he gave a bit of a smirk. "What an interesting creature you are to be able to attack me like that".

The specter gave a choking sound as it tried to wiggle itself out from the boy's grasp. "What . . . . Are you?"

"That does not concern you, not that it would matter" as the tanned youth recalled the malice this creature reeked of. "Simply for the welfare of 'me' and this girl, I think its best that you are permanently removed" as several spell circles appeared around her. Tried as the specter might, it was too late as its body began to disappear out of existence. Sensing its end, the creature let out one final howling scream. But soon it was over as the specter faded out of existence leaving the boy there alone in the dark. With that done, the boy turned around as he gave a soft smile. "I suppose Kohta can handle the rest. I better return to where I belong" to which he soon disappeared.

* * *

~ Inner World (mannequin forest) ~

"I think it should be safe to go out now. I wonder what in the world that thing was," Kohta thought out loud. "But I better be careful. Who knows when that thing will come back?" So quietly sneaking through, that's when he heard it. "Is that . . . . Is that crying?"

So following the sound, Kohta eventually saw a figure in the distance. As he got closer, that's when he saw the horned girl with her back face to him as she was sitting up in the fetal position.

At sensing someone's presence behind her, she looked back as she was startled to see who it was. "Who are you? How did you get in here?" But then a moment later, her expression soon became solemn as she settled back down into the fetal position. "It doesn't matter . . . . You're just another projection . . . . Leave me alone . . . . I'm just so tired right now . . . ."

Kohta eyed the girl strangely before giving her a warm smile. "I don't quite understand what you're talking about, but I can assure you that I'm quite real as I'm talking to you with my magic".

"Magic?" said the horned girl as she gave scoff. "Don't talk nonsense. There is no such thing as magic".

"Sure there is" as he took her hand which surprised the pale girl from the contact. "Here let me show you" to which a ring of runes formed around his index finger as he began to write something in the air. Then in the next instance the world around them began to change as the darkness around them started to change into light as they soon found themselves standing in great meadow surrounded by trees underneath the infinite blue skies.

The horned girls face reflected absolute awe as she looked around at how magnificent and beautiful everything was. "This is amazing! Was this the work of magic? What did you do?"

Kohta gave a warm chuckle as he smiled to the horned girl as she gave a blush of embarrassment to how she acted. "Yes, this was magic. What I casted was a revealing spell".

"Huh?"

"Simply all I did was cast light on your true character to which" as he looked around keeping his warm smile. "You have a really beautiful soul. Just as beautiful as you" as he turned to look at her.

The horned girl immediately turned red at this as she turned away trying to recompose herself. "Don't . . . . Don't say strange things like that. I'm not beautiful . . . ."

"Of course you are" as Kohta held his smile. "You shouldn't think less of yourself you know . . . . Umm. So what's your name?"

"Ehh?"

"Sorry, I kind of got a head of myself. My name is Kohta, Kohta Hizashi. So what's your name?"

The horned girl looked a bit surprised at the question as she contemplated whether she should say it not. But after a moment the girl gave a soft smile as she looked the strange boy in the eyes. "My name is Kaede. It's nice to meet you".

To be continued . . . .

* * *

Author's notes: This concludes another chapter. Now in the Rosario+Vampire world, is was stated in the second season that demons were prohibited in causing trouble in human world. So I contemplated and came to a conclusion that the demons must have some sort of policing and judging system that keep their own in line.

Now Kohta for the sake of this story does know magic as he started his life as a magi which is another term for magus, witch, or wizard (I just thought magi sounded cooler). As this memory arc will go, he's not an ordinary magi as there is much more to him to which there is a secret that any demon in the whole world would kill to have.

So I thank you all for reading this fic and I further extend my gratitude if you can review it as well.


	17. So What Now?

Rosario to Elf

Disclaimer: I do not own Elfen Lied, Rosario + Vampire, or any characters associated with either of the series.

"talking"

_thoughts_

* * *

So What Now?

* * *

"You'll be OK now. You'll see" smiled Kohta as he gave her his hand.

Kaede beamed at this as she took it. But then . . . . But then . . . . But then she didn't remember what happened next. As she groaned, she held her face as she peered through her hands to see the ceiling. "Just a dream after all, figures. It was all just too good to be true".

But as she slowly got up she rubbed her eyes as she blinked a view times clearing up her mind. Then taking a closer look around, it quickly dawned on her. "Where am I?" Kaede didn't recognize her new surroundings as she at this time seemed to have been sitting on a couch. As she closed her eyes trying hard to remember, ". . . . How did I get here?"

"Ahh, so you're awake now?"

The horned girl immediately jumped up at this looking around to where the voice came from. But clearly spotting no one in the room around her she scratched her head at this. "_Was I imagining all that?_"

"You must be hungry. It should be around lunch time now".

Kaede's eyes once again widened at this. "_That definitely wasn't my imagination_". But then, "where did it come from?"

"Down here" then said the voice again.

Kaede looked about still not seeing anyone. But then looking down, that's when she spotted a rabbit plushy as it looked like it was . . . . looking at her? So picking the strange doll up, she stared at it. "Did the voices come from this thing?"

"Of course it did! Where else would it come from?"

The horned girl gaped at this as she instantly dropped the doll and started backing away from it. "It's possessed!" as she now started to stand back in a defensive position.

"That's rather rude of you to say" as the plushy then started to stand on its feet looking to her. "Why act so surprised about me? I'm pretty sure you must have seen something like me before".

Kaede was shocked speechless to the talking doll to which she rubbed her eyes to make certain she wasn't either hallucinating or still dreaming. But still seeing the doll still looking at her, her mouth could only hang open at this.

"Oh forgive me, where are my manners. My name is Bunny or as my mistress calls me Bun-kun. So who are you may I ask?"

"Kaede" she stuttered. Gaining a bit of confidence, she started to inch closer to it. "So . . . . What are you exactly? You are real right?"

"Of course I'm real. I standing before you am I not?"

Kaede looked strangely at the doll before she gave a slow nod.

But sensing what she was really asking, "I don't have an original body as I was just a wandering spirit within nature to which one day mistress found me and gave me form and from then on I was known as Bun-kun".

"I see . . . . So where am I exactly?"

Right on cue that's when Kohta and a little girl walked in. "Ahh, I see you're awake now. I was wondering when you were going to come too".

"Mistress Kanae, I have done as you asked" as the plushy ran back to the little girl looking up to her.

The girl smiled cutely to this as she picked the bunny up hugging it close to her. "Good job Bun-kun, you did a very good job!"

Kohta gave a chuckle to this as he looked back to the horned girl only to see a completely dumbfounded expression as she looked like she was soon going to enter a mental breakdown. "Is there something wrong Kaede-chan?"

"_Kaede-chan? No one has ever called me that before . . . ._" to which the horned girl gave a faint blush too. However she quickly shook her head to wear it off. "What's going on? How did I get here? Who are you people exactly?" as she readied herself to fight back if the need came up. But then relaxed a bit as she continued to watch Kohta's smiling face as his presence didn't reflect any form of maliciousness.

"As I said before my name is Kohta Hizashi and this is my sister Kanae Hizashi".

"Hello!" chirped the little girl with a warm smile.

"And you've already met Bun-kun" to which the doll waved too. "As I said before we're magi's".

"_. . . . So that wasn't a dream_".

"I've also told my father all about you. He's very interested in seeing you too!"

"What?"

Then soon enough an elder man walked in as he looked down upon her. "So you're the girl my son talked about".

"Huh?"

The elder man then kneeled down as he got face to face with her. "Hello, I'm Kohta's father. But you can call me Mr. Hizashi" to which Kaede gave a slow nod too. "Please make yourself at home for now. I need to have a word with my son". He then looked to his daughter. "Kanae, if you would be so kind to watch over our guest".

"Yes father!" she then chirped as she took Kaede's hand and led her to the couch to which a moment later both men left just leaving the girls behind.

As they sat there Kaede couldn't help but feel . . . . Awkward to all this. "_What am I supposed to do . . . . I never have been in a situation like this before . . . ._" Looking to Kanae through the corner of her eye, she seemed to have been humming to herself while playing around with that strange possessed doll of hers. But feeling herself getting anxious again towards her incredible situation, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm herself. "_This is just too surreal . . . . Magic? Such a thing can't be real . . . . Could it?_" Holding her head she soon realized something. It was the fact she felt somehow . . . . less burdened as if some great weight had lifted itself from her. Now that she thought about it, "_I feel so . . . . 'Quiet' inside . . . . What happened to that voice?_" As she was about to put more inquiry into it, that's when her couch companion spoke up.

"Oh I almost forgot!" which almost caused Kaede to jump at her sudden outburst. "Oniichan asked me to make this for you".

"Make me something?"

Kanae placed two fingers in her mouth as she gave a whistling sound. A moment later barking was heard as a plushy of a dog ran out from a door way and jumped onto Kaede's lap barking at her as it wagged its tail. "What is this?" she asked a bit surprised as she still wasn't quite use to the whole living doll thing yet.

"Can't you recognize your own dog?"

"My dog?" to which she took a closer look at it. At looking at the patch work with resemblance to color theme and texture it began to dawn on her as tears began to well up. "This is my puppy! But how is this possible?" as she hugged to dog turned doll as she then looked to Kanae.

"I'm a spirit medium in practice. But in my particular work, I'm placing souls into dolls giving them a physical anchor to this world to move around in". Then looking to the happy dog, "Oniichan told me he found that puppy's spirit in the forest and wanted me to give it a form close to its original body and give it to you. But I'm not entirely sure why".

Kaede looked to her dog as a smile formed. "He did this . . . . For me?"

"Of course" smiled Kanae. "Oniichan is a really nice person". Then correcting her vision, she spotted the very thing she wanted to ask about when she first saw it. "By the way, what kind of demon are you?"

At that question, Kaede was about to feel offended by this. Due to her life in the orphanage people were always picking on her and calling her names which ranged from being called cow to monster due to her horns. But sensing the child was not giving off ill intent, she decided to restrain herself for the little girl to further explain. "What do you mean?"

"I've never seen a demon like you before and you don't seem to resemble any species from what I recall".

"So . . . . Demons are real?"

"Of course they are" said Kanae. "My family is a class of demon known as magi or wizard and witches most commonly known. Essentially out of all the demon species, we look practically like humans but are capable of using magic". But looking closer to Kaede, "aside from other species, I've never seen any other demon look this close to human".

"What kind of other demons?" Kaede then slowly asked.

"There are many kinds of demons in the world. But the ones that look closest to human are mostly the high class demons who practically carved out a good amount of influence in this world being the vampires, werewolves, succubus, and yukionnas". But then Kanae got closer to Kaede as she started to poke at her horns which to say the least started to make the horned girl feel a bit unnerved. "You don't seem to fit the category of any known demon clan. So I'm curious to what you are exactly".

At hearing this Kaede blinked. "So . . . . I'm really some kind of demon?"

With that question Kanae could only shrug at this. "I heard from oniichan that you had some abilities of your own. Can you show me?"

The horned girl paused for a bit. But seeing a cup on the table, she sent her psychic hand out as she lifted it from the table.

At seeing this ability Kanae could only blink at this. "That's interesting. I don't understand how you're even doing that. How about you Bun-kun? Have you seen anything like this before?"

The rabbit plushy shook its head to this. "No mistress I've never seen anything like this before".

"Oh well, I guess it doesn't matter that much" to which she looked over the couch. "I wonder what's taking them so long?"

"Well if it's OK . . . . I don't mind checking on them".

"Are you sure? You don't really know your way around the house".

"It's fine, I wanted to stretch my legs anyways" to which Kaede soon got up to leave. But looking around as she wandered a bit she had to say that this was a rather nice house. Then after a bit more wandering that's when she heard something.

"She might be too dangerous".

At hearing this Kaede spotted the room where it came from as she set her dog down as she pressed her ear against the door. From listening she easily could tell who was talking.

"But father" said Kohta. "She doesn't have anywhere else to go . . . . After what had happened . . . . With those other kids".

"_He knows about that!_" as Kaede felt her body shiver seeing her actions was discovered.

"You said it yourself" then retorted Kohta's father. "She killed all of them without a second thought. That girl is too dangerous to keep around this family".

"But she didn't mean to do it! Those kids were being awful to her which caused her to lose control. Plus I know she's a good person! I peered into her soul myself! She's not evil!" At hearing this Kaede felt a mixture of emotions as she was both happy yet fearful of where this conversation was leading.

Kohta's father contemplated everything he has come to learn. True that Kaede girl didn't mean to kill those children with malicious intent. However upon first meeting with his son she went straight to attacking him. More than that, her strange powers managed to penetrate Kohta's shield. "_But something like that can't be possible . . . ._" But then looking to his son waiting for him to give the final verdict his face soon softened to this. "_Kohta may be young. But he is a good judge of character. But if what he said is true about that girl phasing through his shield then it would probably be good to keep an eye on her for now_". So giving a soft smile, he then spoke. "Very well Kohta. I'll take a blind eye to this for now. But the matter still stands she ended four lives yesterday. Seeing the complication of this incident as well as the lack of clarity, much work needs to be done".

"So she can stay here with us!" exclaimed Kohta excitedly.

"Now Kohta, that's something your auntie must decide seeing at this is her house. But I'm certain she'll be more then welcomed to stay for now. Did you get that little one?"

"Huh?"

At that question Kaede was stunned at this which caused her to fall back to the floor landing on her rear. Then slowly the door opened revealing the elder man. "Uhh . . . . Hi . . . ."

"You know it's not polite to eavesdrop on other peoples conversations. However since it involves you, you do deserve to know what it's about" to which he motioned for her to step in. "But before I proceed from here, I wanted to talk to you myself concerning that incident". At that statement it was easy to see the horned girl visibly shake at this. "Although I do believe my son in regards to your nature, I'm still skeptical of your actions" as his eyes narrowed giving off quite the intimidating aura. He knew interrogating a child like this was a rather distasteful thing to do. But considering potentially what she was in addition to what she had done, this was something he had to clear the air about. "So tell me Kaede-san, do you regret what you have done?"

At that question her eyes widened to this. Seeing the intense stare he was giving her forced her to look away. "_Should I lie to him? That would probably get me clear for now_". But peeking back, a feeling came over her that lying would do her no good. Looking at the elder man's eyes, it was clear he was scanning her for any indication that she might be lying. Given the situation, it was probably not in her best interest to try as she was in a territory she had no knowledge about. "_But it's not an answer neither of them are going to like . . . ._" as she took a glance to Kohta. So taking a deep breath she looked to Mr. Hizashi with dead seriousness in her eyes. "No . . . . I don't regret my actions of what I did . . . ."

This caused Kohta to give Kaede a shocked look.

"But" to which her dog then jumped onto her lap as she petted it, "I . . . . . understand now I was angry then. When I really think about it . . . . I am . . . . Saddened that I took a life, but yet . . . . I'm not sorry for what I did . . . ."

Mr. Hizashi narrowed his eyes at this. From her answer he knew she was being sincere although troubling as it was. But taking into account her history and from what he was able to learn about her, he made his decision. "You may stay here for now as I'll vouch for you. However you will be watched, my son will temporarily be responsible for you" to which he then stood up. "That is all for now".

"_This kid is going to responsible for me?_" thought Kaede both sarcastically and incredulously. "_He can't be serious about that. If he really knows what I did then he should know what I'm capable of_".

Almost as if he read her mind, "now don't take my son easily. He might be your age, but he's a lot tougher then he looks". He then looked to his son, "now Kohta, go get Kaede-san accustomed to her new living arrangements".

"Yes father" to which he took the horned girl's hand and walked them both out.

But once far enough from the room, Kaede ripped her hand away from the tanned youth as he looked to her curiously. "No one said I needed your help you know. Who said I'd agree to live with you anyways?" as she gave the boy a cold glare.

Kohta simply blinked at this before showing a wide smile. "It's simply because you needed help and there was nothing more to it than that. Does there have to be more or a reason then this?"

Kaede was taken back at this giving a slight blush before looking away as her eyes softened at this.

"Come on! I got lots to show you!" Kohta then said as he retook Kaede's hand.

Looking down to the friendly gesture, Kaede's cheeks gave a slight tint of red as a strange mixture of feelings swarmed in her head which also plagued her heart. In her short life no one has ever shown her this much warmth or compassion to her well-being. But here they were as these strange people openly accepted her regardless of her appearance and actions. However that was the problem itself. After her experience at the orphanage, she found it . . . . difficult to open her heart to anyone at remembering how much it hurt to be betrayed. But looking to Kohta, "_one more time . . . . I'll believe one more time_". Although that was her proclamation, it wasn't going to change her attitude towards anyone as frankly she was a natural born tsundere.

To be continued . . . .

* * *

Author's notes: chapters short I know. But this is where I'm going to do a time skip to further things along.

For those who don't know or remember, Kaede/Lucy/Nyu lived at an orphanage. During her time there she was a rather lonely and isolated girl due to her 'difference'. So one day she found a puppy to which that dog became one of the most treasured things in her life. Then sometime eventually a girl at the orphanage approached her in a friendly manner to which Kaede introduced her dog to her. But then the next day that girl betrayed her to her bullies to which in a cruel laugh beat the puppy to death. At this heartbreaking moment, Kaede's powers awakened and killed all the bullies. It was from here that she began her descent into madness. But it was here in my story that Kaede takes a different route.

So I thank you all for reading this fic and I further extend my gratitude if you can review it as well.


	18. Thy Family

Rosario to Elf

Disclaimer: I do not own Elfen Lied, Rosario + Vampire, or any characters associated with either of the series.

"talking"

_thoughts_

* * *

Thy Family

* * *

Kaede at this time was wearing a karate uniform as she stood in front of Kohta who was wearing the same thing to which the both of them were sitting in a fighting stance as they faced off against each other. At the slight shift of Kohta's foot, the horned girl dashed in with a straight punch to which Kohta blocked quickly returning with a kick that Kaede jumped back from.

From there the pair continued to exchange attacks with each other until they both had to stop for a moment to reset themselves. But then Kaede summoned her psychic hands as she sent them out to chase her opponent.

However in retaliation Kohta jumped into his shadow as he soon reappeared jumping out of Kaede's right behind her grabbing her. Using his body's momentum, he tossed her into the air.

"No bad Kohta, but not good enough" she smirked as she slammed her psychic hands into the ground correcting her equilibrium as they slowly lowered her back to the floor. "But let's see you handle this" to which Kaede then twisted the translucent arms around her limbs as she got back into fighting stance. Then in a blinding burst of speed, she kicked off the floor dashing right at the tanned youth as she tackled him to the ground as she mounted his stomach while cocking her fist back. "I believe you're finished now".

Kohta gave a strained laugh to this. "Great job Kaede-chan. I guess that makes sixteen wins, eleven loses, and three ties".

"Better believe it" as she then stood up extending her hand to help Kohta back to his feet.

At that finish both Kohta's father and Kanae then approached them. "Terrific match you two. Your skills are definitely getting better". The elder man then looked to Kaede, "you've definitely got talent when it comes to fighting. I wouldn't be surprised if you managed to earn yourself an honorary title in demon world".

Kaede simply snorted as she flicked her nose. "Thanks for the kind words Mr. Hizashi. But it's a bit much seeing how weak my opponent is" to which her eyes gleamed to a certain boy.

"Kaede-san is so strong. Will you be my oneesan from now on?"

The horned girl could only smile at this. "Sure, I would probably be a better sibling than your brother". At that remark everyone laughed at this.

Kohta gave a small chuckle as he looked to Kaede. "_She sure has changed in the last month . . . ._"

A month had passed since Kaede had come to live with the Hizashi family. To say the least, a lot of things happened. For starters, his father had to bend the rules a bit as he altered the memories of everyone at the orphanage. What he did exactly, his father wouldn't say as he said it would be best that he didn't know. Of course Kaede was responsible for their deaths. So in retribution, she was now made to visit their graves daily in respect to them for taking their lives. Obviously she wasn't happy about this arrangement, but it was fair as she acknowledged she did something wrong and she had to pay for it.

But now with that out of the way, Kaede spent most of her time with the Hizashi family to which the orphanage gave approval too. Of course knowing what the horned girl did, the Hizashis were slightly wary of her. But in no time, Kaede was accepted amongst them as if she was like family herself. If he had to say, she was a lot happier now as he saw her smiling more frequently these days. With the passing time, the horned girl really got integrated with his schedule as she ate, slept, and trained at the same times he did. Concerning training, he was a bit surprised Kaede would be so interested in learning how to fight. But in learning the kind of life she had, he couldn't blame her for wanting to be stronger. For the days to come, she was absorbing the martial arts knowledge like a sponge as she easily had most of the basics down in a few days. As she continued to fight, her understanding of her powers grew as well to which in one week under his father's guidance her powers became stabilized as Kaede was now able to use her psychic arms in many forms and ways. "_But why call them vectors?_" to which he shrugged too.

But aside from all that, Kohta was glad that he was able to show Kaede the better part of life.

* * *

~ Hizashi's residence ~ (late morning)

"Now that we've had breakfast, is there something anyone wanted to do today?" asked Mr. Hizashi. "I didn't have anything further planned plus its summer to which you kids should be on vacation".

"Can I go on my trip then?" asked Kanae as she stood up eyes shining.

"Trip?"

"Yeah! Oniisan promised to take me on a trip to anywhere I wanted! So can I please go?"

The elder man gave nod to this. "Alright then, just make sure to stay safe OK. Your auntie and I have some business to see too to which we won't be back till some time. So you know what to do right?"

"Yes father" nodded Kohta.

"I can't wait!" chimed Kanae at the prospect of her trip.

"Can I come too?" asked Yuka.

"I don't think oniisan would mind".

"Please Kanae" then said Kohta. "Just make sure we don't have to go so far this time".

Still watching this exchange from where she was sitting, Kaede had no idea what was going on. "Where is everyone going?"

But after a little time later, the children reconvened in the living room as Kanae finally decided where she wanted to go. "France! I want to go to France this time so I can try the desserts there!"

At that demand, Kohta could only gape at this. "That's . . . . A little too far Kanae, can you please pick a place a little closer".

"But you said anywhere I wanted didn't you?" as the child medium pouted to this while turning her back to her brother.

"She's right" then responded Kanae's doll. "You did promise mistress Kanae anywhere. So you shouldn't go back on your word".

"You did promise you know" added in Yuka as she too wanted to go there as well.

At seeing how he was being ganged up on, Kohta could only let out a soft sigh. "Fine, let's go then" to which his sister and cousin then cheered too.

"_France?_" thought Kaede as she quietly listened to the conversation. "_There isn't any place in Japan called France, is there? But could they mean the European country of France? But that wouldn't make any sense. It would take hours to get there by plane and the cost for tickets must be outrageous. But then what could they be talking about . . . ._" to which her face scrunched at feeling entirely lost about what was going on.

"Kaede-chan, you're going to need this" as Kohta handed her strange looking wooden charm. "Also, you might want to hold on tight" as Kohta extended his hand to her.

The horned girl looked to his hand as a light blush formed. But then a moment later she took it as Kanae took her brothers other hand with Yuka taking hers.

"Alright hold on everyone. This is going to be a rush" to which in the next moment they were gone.

* * *

~ Unknown place ~

" . . . . Unbelievable" Kaede said breathlessly. Right before her now, she along with the others now stood within the grand city of Paris as the Eifel tower stood directly in her line of sight. "Amazing . . . . This is just too amazing!".

"Man I'm tired" said Kohta as he needed to take a breather.

"Come on oniisan! Let's go exploring!" exclaimed Kanae excitedly.

"Let's go Kohta" as Yuka began dragging her cousin off as she too was excited to be in the city of romance. "You can rest after we find a place to eat at".

At seeing them go, Kaede and Kanae followed closely behind them. "Incredible, I never knew magic was just so incredible to be able to teleport us here!" as every fiber of her being felt like tingling. "I never knew Kohta could do something like this. Could all magic users do incredible feats like this?"

"Yes, there are many great magi in this world. But . . . ." as she looked to Kaede, "can you keep a secret?"

"_A secret?_" as the horned girl's eyebrow rose at this. "Sure, but what secret are you talking about?"

"Mistress Kanae!" then said Bun-kun.

"It's OK. I'm sure we can trust oneesan" Kanae smiled to which she then looked to her as they continued to walk. "I'm not sure why, but father told me that this is something we mustn't tell anyone. For oniisan is very special even amongst the most talented of magic users".

"Hmm? How is that?"

"Oniisan is capable of doing feats that even a sage level magus can't even accomplish on their own".

"Really? Like what?"

"Like how we got here" Kanae smiled. "The power and concentration needed to do something like this is pretty extraordinary which requires a very powerful and talented magi to be able to hop an entire country let alone from Japan all the way here with all of us accompanying along".

"So what's the problem then? Kohta is just really good at magic".

The child medium could only shrug at this. "Father never really said why. He just said to keep his talents as hidden as possible".

"_. . . . Well whatever I guess" _thought Kaede. But looking around another thing immediately came to mind. "Why didn't anyone react to us when we teleported in? I thought the supernatural was supposed to stay hidden from normal humans".

"That's because this is the supernatural community of this country" to which illustrating this point a lot of unusual things were going on around them with levitating objects and things being built instantaneously right before their eyes as well as a few demons walking around. "There's places like this all over the world. So it makes it easier for us to go where ever we want".

Kaede then scratched her cheek as she then averted her eyes. "But then how are we going to understand anyone here? I don't understand French . . . ."

"You don't need too" as Kanae pointed to the charm Kaede was holding. "That's a magical tool that translates languages so that we can not only understand other languages, but also so that others can understand us as well".

"Really?" to which she looked around to see many signs. "Incredible, it's like they're all written in Japanese".

"Come on oneesan! There is so much to do and so much to see! Let's go!"

* * *

~ France ~ (afternoon)

The kids were having a good time as they toured through the city of romance. Although it was slightly uncomfortable for a certain tanned youth as Kaede would try to pull him in one direction while Yuka would attempt to pull him in another. With conflicts such as this, the girls would glare at each other in some form of hostility. But he couldn't really understand why they fought.

However it didn't seem to be out of malice to which his pale friend and cousin seem to have been able to talk in a friendly manner at times. "_The peculiarities of the female mind . . . ._"

But after a while and getting a bite to eat, the children continued to explore as they wandered outside the magical community and into the humans area until they found themselves at a grand architectural building which housed a massive magnificent glass pyramid in the courtyard of the area.

"Amazing! Amazing!" shouted Kaede as seeing the structure. "I never knew such amazing things like this existed! What is this place?"

"This is Musée du Louvre, one of the greatest museums in France and a must to see. Right Bun-kun?" asked Kanae as she looked to her doll. "That's right mistress" it whispered back not wanting to attract the attention of normal people. "Come on! Let's go then!" to which they then proceeded inside.

* * *

~ Musée du Louvre ~

Upon entering, the children awed at the many wondrous pieces of art that surrounded them as they visited the numerous galleries that spanned throughout many centuries that the museum stood.

"Look at that!" as Kanae ran to a particular portrait.

"What a beautiful picture" said Yuka with spotting the art piece.

"Yeah" smiled Kohta. "Hmm? Where's Kaede-chan?" as he looked around for the missing horned girl. With a quick look, he easily spotted her looking to a particular portrait as she seemed to be lost in it. "What is she looking at?" Then standing next to her, he saw the painting.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" said Kaede as a hint of disgust laced her voice. "I'll never understand such things . . . ."

"Kaede-chan" as Kohta looked to her worriedly. The portrait they were looking at showed a sharp contrast between two figures. One which represented an ethereal majestic aura whiles the other a hideous monstrosity to be scorned at. He knew his pale friend had a complex when it came to her horns due to her life at the orphanage. Even now some people who walked by her couldn't help but stare and point to the strangeness that she was.

"What kind of girl is she?"

"Are those real?"

"I wonder 'what' gave birth to 'that'?"

At hearing some of the whispers, Kohta couldn't help but frown. "_People could sometimes be so terrible . . . ._" Humans for the longest time he has known them were always such a judgmental race. Even in the slightest tinge of difference, 'outsiders' like that were immediately out casted due to the majority's ignorance and their inability to accept. But humans weren't the only ones who did this as demons too were guilty of the same thing to which he could only wonder why the world had to be like this. In seeing how his pale friend was still feeling sour, "_I know how to make her feel better_".

So taking her hand which caused her to flinch a bit, he guided her to another painting. "Things are not always as they appear. Take a look at this one". Looking to the painting, Kaede's eyes shined a bit as it displayed scenery of colors both warm and cold beautifully mixed together to which it all connected to a single point which unified the painting as a whole. "Do you know what this painting talks about?" asked Kohta to which the horned girl shook her head too. "This painting shows that not everything is always as it appears and also that one should never judge based on first appearances. Although misunderstanding can occur, we must always be opened and willing to see that there is more to something that meets the eye even if it does seem scary or unnatural". He then looked to the horned girl with a soft smile. "That's what I think Kaede-chan. Although there will be people who don't understand you. There will also be those who can and will try. When that occurs they'll see that same beautiful girl I see".

Kaede looked to the youth before giving a cute blush as she averted her eyes. But then looking up at the painting again she started to chuckle which grew louder and louder until it was full on laughter.

"Kaede-chan?"

"That story about this painting, it was all made up wasn't it?"

Kohta blinked at this before giving a strained laugh as he rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah I kind of made it up . . . . Sorry Kaede-chan".

"It's alright" as she warmly smiled to him. "Thank you Kohta . . . . For always being so sweet to me".

"You're welcome".

"Come on, there is still so much for us to see".

* * *

~ France ~ (evening)

"No way Kohta, that's way too dangerous" said Yuka worriedly.

"I'm with Yuka" said Kanae. "It's a bit too scary".

"Don't worry" said Kohta. "I figured that while we're here that we can go to the top of the Eifel tower. The sight up there must be amazing. Since the reservation has been booked, I can just teleport us there instead while keeping out of sight of anyone else".

"Sorry oniisan, it's a bit too high for me".

"Ditto" agreed the brunette.

"How about you Kaede-chan? Do you want to come with me?"

The pink haired girl thought about it as she looked to the structure. "_It's so big and so high_" as she felt her stomach sink a bit due to vertigo. But seeing Kohta looking to her expectantly, she smiled as she took his hand. "Alright, but promise you won't let go of my hand OK".

"Sure" to which in the next moment they were gone.

Of course Yuka would have agreed to come if she knew Kaede wasn't going to chicken out. But it was too late now.

"Come on Yuka" said Kanae. "There are some things I wanted to see before we go".

* * *

~ France (Eifel tower) ~

"Ahhh" as Kaede began to feel tipsy at being so high up while looking down to which she began to lose her balance.

"Don't worry, I have you" said Kohta as he held the horned girl's hand strongly to which he corrected her equilibrium.

"No! I'm scared! Please take me down now!" as she gripped both her hands onto his while clamping her eyes shut.

"Kaede-chan, just open your eyes".

"No! I don't want too!" But then she felt an arm wrap around her backside which somehow seemed to have been calming her down as it pulled her close to which she then peeked her eyes open.

"It's fine, see" Kohta smiled. "I've got you" as he then looked out to the city below.

Turning her head, Kaede expression represented absolute awe at the incredible sight below. Now nearing nighttime, Paris became a wondrous city of lights as it showed just how alive the city was. At this view, she began to relax as she began standing on her own.

"Are you enjoying the view?"

"Yes! This is just amazing!"

At that outburst, Kohta gave a soft chuckle to which Kaede blushed too. But soon a little more time passed as they soon settled in as they sat next to each other along the edge as they continued to watch the city. "Kaede-chan, I've been wondering . . . . Are you happy with everything right now? I mean with how your life is".

The horned girl closed her eyes for a moment as she thought about it as she then looked to him with a soft smile. "Yes, it's the most happy I've ever felt as I've never thought my life could be like this. But it's not going to last, is it?" as her lips twisted to a frown as her eyes now looked down to her lap.

"Hmm?" as Kohta looked to her confused.

"It was already so kind of your family to be taking care of me like this. But I understand already that my current arrangement was only temporary. After this, I'll have to go back to the orphanage where . . . . everything else will be waiting for me".

"_I see . . . ._" then thought Kohta. He knew Kaede's situation wasn't meant to last as neither his father nor aunt had the immediate capacity to support another child full time. But it would have been just too cruel to send her back to a place that didn't want her. Especially the awkwardness followed with being there. "_But this is something I think I can fix_" to which he stood up. "Come on Kaede-chan, I bet everyone must be waiting for us to go now".

"Yeah".

* * *

~ Yokohama (residential district) ~ (a few days later)

"That's strange. I didn't think they would be this close" said Kohta as the youth at this time was stalking around a motel.

In relation to the prior days, he couldn't accept his friend's eventual fate to which he wanted to do something more about it. But it was easier said than done as he didn't have many options in regards to this situation. After much contemplation he decided to try and find Kaede's parents. Obviously they must have had a good reason to why they couldn't raise her to which he was holding out on the hope that it wasn't because of some stupid triviality like her horns. But then came a couple of problems which were namely her origins. True the shinigami he talked to said she was human, but then again information could be wrong. Taking one problem at a time he first needed to find them and learn what kind of people they were. Although dowsing wasn't his strong suit, his sister Kanae and Yuka were most helpful in locating where they were in the world. Surprisingly, they were in the city as well not too far from them. At locating them, Kaede's parents seem to have been residing at a motel.

However on day one, the only person they saw was a woman which was presumably Kaede's mother. From outer appearance, she had a rather elegant look with shoulder length brunette hair, brown eyes with a tint of red and pale skin. But from what they could tell, she seemed to have been hard at work.

"Where is she going now?" asked Kanae.

"She's been going out every day since we've been watching her" said Yuka.

"Probably to another orphanage" then said Kohta.

In watching the elder woman, she appeared to have been going from orphanage to orphanage non-stop. Eavesdropping on a few of the conversations she had, there was no doubt that she was definitely looking for Kaede. But for Kohta he wanted to make sure she was a good person to which he, Kanae, and Yuka discreetly questioned her trying to discern what kind of person she was. Even Bun-kun helped out through careful planning when the woman took him home with her.

Through their efforts, they learned a lot about the elder woman. The woman's name was Mikomi Hikaru. She lived a middle class life as she worked as a programming technician. She was a really kind and tender woman with many great qualities. But one quality that astounded them was her special talent. They weren't even certain if she knew it, but she seemed to have some sort of telepathic or perhaps precognitive capabilities as she seemed to have been anticipating everything they were about to say and do which made her come out as rather pleasant when she indulged them in a welcoming manner.

After a week, they finally decided it was time for the two to meet.

"Uhh, Ms. Hikaru" said Kohta as he approached the woman.

"Kohta right? Was there something you wanted to talk about dear?" said Mikomi.

"I think it's time that you meet her now".

* * *

~ Yokohama (park) ~ (the next day)

"What's been going on Kohta?" asked Kaede. "Everyone's been so secretive around me. Is there something going on that I should know about?" At this time the pink haired girl was feeling several things during the course of the week which was mostly anxiety from how everyone was being so 'discreet' around her all of the sudden.

"You'll see" smiled Kohta "There's a surprise I wanted to show you".

The horned girl wasn't certain how to react, but decided to go along with it for now. Looking around she couldn't understand what it could be. "_But why a park? What could possibly be here that Kohta wanted me to see?_" As they continued to walk, Kaede began to feel edgy about all this. "Can you just tell me what it is already?"

"It's a surprise, just be patient Kaede-chan".

Continuing their walk, the horned girl couldn't help but grow more and more anxious the deeper they went. However she trusted Kohta enough that he wasn't going to do anything that would hurt her. But that didn't stop her from agonizing over whatever it was that he wanted to show her. For him, Kanae, and Yuka were all acting strangely during the week as they kept redirecting her every time she questioned what was going on. But she knew they were good people and that was enough for her to trust in them to whatever it was. "Can you at least tell me if we're almost there?"she then asked meekly as she looked to the ground.

"Actually" as Kohta looked to a woman dressed in a nice outfit who was sitting on the bench, "she's the surprise".

"Huh?"

At noticing the pair, the woman soon stood up as she approached them. Looking between the two, her eyes then settled on Kaede as she kneeled getting face to face with her. "You're really Kaede, aren't you?" as there was no mistaking her due to her horns.

"Yeah" Kaede answered cautiously. "_Strange . . . . Why do I feel . . . . Weird around this lady?_" as her head began to buzz strangely to her presence. But as her mind was lost in thought, the horned girl soon found herself enveloped in a hug by the elder woman. "Hey! What do you think you're doing?"

"Kaede" as her voice began to crack. "I've been looking for you for such a long time . . . ." she then said as warm tears began to stream down her cheeks.

"What are you talking about?" to which she then looked Kohta. "Who is this lady?"

"This woman here is Mikomi Hikaru" said Kohta.

"I'm your mother" the elder woman finished.

From this answer, Kaede's eyes widened as she pushed herself away from the woman. Looking to her and then to Kohta, she immediately turned about and began to run away.

"Kaede-chan! Wait!" But she was gone as she left the pair behind. Shocked to her reaction, all they could do was watch as only a single thought came to mind. "Why?"

To be continued . . . .

* * *

Author's notes: Hope it wasn't a mess as there was a lot to sort through in relation to both Kaede and Kohta past. But just a bit more and then we'll make a full circle to where everything comes to light.

So I thank you all for reading this fic and I further extend my gratitude if you can review it as well.


	19. Mother, Where Art Thou?

Rosario to Elf

Disclaimer: I do not own Elfen Lied, Rosario + Vampire, or any characters associated with either of the series.

"talking"

_thoughts_

* * *

Mother, Where art thou?

* * *

"Kaede-chan! Wait!"

But regardless of their calls she continued to run further from them as she soon jumped off the path and right into the forest.

"_Why?_" Kaede questioned herself. "_Why am I running away?_" As she continued to run, her mind began to race. "_I don't understand_" as tears began to form. "_Kohta was only trying to help. But why? Why does this hurt so much?_"

But feeling muscles burning due to excessive use, her legs gave out to which she stopped at the nearest tree she could find as she sat in the fetal position against it. As Kaede sat there, she was now deep in thought about what had just happened as she quietly sat there crying.

"Why did she run?" questioned Kohta as he stood there stunned about his friend's outburst.

"It's my fault" then said Mikomi sadly. "It's because of me that she ran away".

The tanned youth looked to the elder woman as he didn't understand.

"You're still too young to comprehend this. But from Kaede's perspective . . . . I must be . . . . A very horrible person".

Kohta's face scrunched at this as he had a vague idea to why his pale friend behaved the way she did. But he didn't even want to try and assume how she was feeling. "_I think I should go find her_" to which he closed his eyes. For a while now every time he closed his eyes and concentrated a bit, it was like he could see everything that went on in world or at least where there was darkness. Of course he talked about it, but by his father's advice he was told to keep this fact to himself to which he didn't know why. But getting back on task, he concentrated hard and instantly he found who he was looking for. "Ms. Hikaru, will you please wait here? I'm going to go find Kaede-chan and have a talk with her".

The elder woman looked to him as she nodded to this as she didn't want to exasperate the situation. "I'm sorry I can't be a more responsible adult let alone a parent" as it was apparent she was saddened by this.

"It's OK, just please wait here while I go get her" to which Mikomi nodded as she went to go sit back down at the bench. Then turning about, Kohta ventured into the forest. As he walked, he carefully thought about what he was going to say. But in such a matter like this, he couldn't quite find the right words no matter how hard he thought about it. Finally hearing some sobbing, he stopped in front of the enormous tree.

". . . . I knew you would find me . . . . Eventually" Kaede sniffled.

Kohta walked around the tree to see his pale friend still sitting in the fetal position. But as she looked up to him with her red puffy eyes, she then scooted over to allow him to sit next to her. So taking the offer, he then took his seat. For a while the pair sat quietly with each other until Kaede broke the silence.

"Why did you do it Kohta? Why did you bring that horrible woman here?" she asked quietly as her tone sounded quite saddened while laced slightly with anger.

"Kaede-chan, that woman is your mother".

"You know what she did to me!" Kaede shouted as fresh new tears formed. "I was abandoned! Abandoned to such a horrible place! How am I supposed to feel about such a thing? How do you expect me to feel about that horrible person?"

"Please calm down . . . ."

"I just don't understand" as she buried her face in her knees. Kaede then gave a slight pause before continuing again. "While at the orphanage . . . . Most of the children there would have been happy to have the chance to meet their parents. But inside me . . . . All I could feel was resentment. Resentment for all the terrible things I had to endure all because of them. Resentment towards this horrible world that didn't want me. Resentment . . . . That I was ever born . . . ."

"Kaede-chan . . . ."

"How am I suppose to feel Kohta" as she looked to the youth with red teary eyes. "This is just . . . . too cruel . . . ." to which she then lunged at him embracing the boy in a hug as she began hiccupping at how painful this all was. As she held him, her tears began to soak into the youth's shirt.

Kohta frowned at this as he could feel Kaede's heart breaking again. But in a case like this he didn't really know what the right thing to say was. He was still a child after all. So what could he possibly say or do to make his friend feel better. But still feeling Kaede trembling in his arms, "_I just have to do the best I can_". So rubbing her back to calm her down he began to speak. "But she came for you didn't she?"

"So . . . ."

"It means she cared. She cared enough that she came back for you".

"But I was abandoned . . . ." Kaede snorted while rubbing her eyes trying to keep herself calm enough to talk.

"But her being here must mean something" as he pushed Kaede back as he softly held her shoulders. "I know Ms. Hikaru must have a good reason to why everything happened the way it did". Kohta then stood up as he took Kaede's hand pulling her up. "I know Ms. Hikaru isn't a bad person. So will you at least hear her out and let her explain what happened?"

The horned girl's expression hardened at this as she averted her eyes as her lips twisted into a frown. This was something she didn't want to face. However by accordance to her friend, her 'mother' might have had a good reason for all her suffering. But then again . . . . There was a good chance she wasn't going to like what she was going to hear. At this point, she didn't want to endure any more heart ache. But looking back to Kohta, he was still waiting patiently for her to give an answer. Squeezing his shirt a bit, her grip softened as she let go now looking to Kohta's eyes. ". . . . I'll go and listen. But . . . ."

"Hmm? What is it?"

"Will you . . . . Promise that you will stay with me during this ordeal?"

Kohta blinked at this as a soft smile began to form which then started to become a chuckle until becoming a full on laughter.

"What's so funny?" Kaede then exclaimed as she was now red in fury and embarrassment.

"I'm sorry Kaede-chan. But seriously" as he returned back to his smile. "I promise that I will never leave your side. Whatever troubles you may face, I'll be there standing next to you whenever you need me".

The horned girl blushed at this as she gave a nod. "Thank you Kohta". So taking her hand, the youth escorted her back out of the forest where Ms. Hikaru was waiting for them. Upon their arrival, Mikomi immediately got up to meet them teary eyed. With her approach, Kaede bravely stepped forward to hear what she had to say.

* * *

~ Hizashi residence ~ (one week later)

"I'm going to miss you living here oneesan" said Kanae.

"It'll be a bit more lonely around here without you" then said Yuka sincerely.

Kaede could only sigh at this as she looked to the two girls. "There is no need to mope on me like this. It's not like I'm moving far away as I'll still be in the city for the duration of the summer. I just won't be living here anymore as I'll now be living with my mother when we move back to Kamakura".

"So how is your mother Kaede-chan?" asked Kohta.

The horned girl looked to him before giving a deep smile. "She is a truly wonderful person".

The tanned youth nodded to this, "_good for you Kaede-chan_". In the passing days, Mikomi explained to the best of her ability why Kaede was abandoned. But simply put, it was not her fault. As a baby, she was taken from her. Due to extenuating circumstances, it took these seven years to find her again. Although it was questioned if this was the truth, there was no doubt after sensing how much pain Mikomi felt for not being there for Kaede when she needed her most through the years when she was growing up.

But concerning how these events transpired, for Mikomi it was not a story she wished to share openly. Of course his father questioned her on the matter, but after a long secluded conversation he would not say either as it was something best kept quiet for now.

After several planned meetings, Kaede finally agreed to go live with Mikomi. Of course his pale friend was cynical about the entire thing at first as she was wary of 'that horrible woman'. But after the first few meetings, something incredible was born as Kaede discovered she had a secondary ability to which she shared with her mother. That ability was telepathy, a pure form of unhampered communication without secrets or lies which laid the feelings of individuals bare to each other. Upon the first link they shared with each other, Kaede knew Mikomi wasn't lying as her feelings of love were truly genuine for her. However Kaede's telepathy proved to be rather unstable as she couldn't sense things like her mother could. But with work, she was slowly beginning to understand it. Not so surprisingly, Mikomi was aware of the supernatural world when it came to magic and demons but wasn't really involved with it as she figured so long as she didn't bother them they wouldn't bother her.

"Is everything OK here?" asked Mikomi as she now stood next to her daughter.

The horned girl looked to her with a small smile. "Yes mother, I was just telling everyone what was going on".

"So are you still going to come by once in a while?" asked Mr. Hizashi as he walked in from another room as everyone then turned to look at him. "Kohta could still use a training partner because without a diclonius like you around, he's definitely going to start slacking off".

"Yes Mr. Hizashi, I'll still come around to kick him around when I can" to which everyone gave a laugh too.

Of course Kohta laughed to this as well. But concerning his father's statement, something has been troubling him as of late. His father has been investigating Kaede's origin to discover what exactly she was as the elder man discreetly asked around demon and human society. During the course of a few days and back tracing through any records he could find, everything pointed to the fact that Kaede was completely human born meaning that whatever she was, she was something new and possibly . . . . Something dangerous. However what really piqued his interest was the source of her power. Up to record, there have only existed two kinds of powers when it came to special abilities which were either spiritual or demonic in nature. But for Kaede, there appeared to have been no perceivable limit of what her vectors were capable of. But this was as far as he was able to understand from his father. Seeing there was no exact name for what she was, 'diclonius' was chosen for her.

"I'll be seeing you all tomorrow OK?" smiled Kaede as she waved her good-bye to them to which she then took Mikomi's hand as they then left together for the day.

* * *

~ Yokohama (downtown) ~ (the next day)

"So where does everyone want to go?" questioned Kohta as at this time he along with his sister, cousin, and friend were wandering around the city looking for anything fun to do.

"The park" said Kanae. "I want to go play at the gym".

"Can we go to the magical community here?" asked Yuka. "I wanted to pick up a new dowsing crystal".

Kohta then looked to his pale friend as she looked hesitant about what she wanted to say. "Kaede-chan?"

The horned girl fidgeted a bit as she continued to look to the ground. But then looking up, "there is a place I wanted to go . . . . But . . . . It can wait till later".

"Well that's fine I guess".

"No, let's go where you want to go too first" said Kanae ecstatically.

"Huh? No, it's . . . . I . . . ."

"I don't mind" then said Yuka. "Where do you want to go Kaede-san?"

"But I uhhh . . . ."

"If everyone is in agreement then let's do Kaede-chan's thing first" smiled Kohta as he took the horned girl's hand and started to drag her off.

"Wait! No! It's fine! It can wait!" But contrary to her complaints, the group eventually went where she wanted to go to which taking a short walk they arrived at the store Kaede wanted to visit.

"This place?" questioned Kohta as they now stood in front of a rather old looking antique store. "Was there something here you wanted?"

"That's not something you should concern yourself with" Kaede then said defensively while averting her eyes seeming slightly flushed.

"Was there something you wanted here Kaede-san?" asked Yuka.

"Yes . . . . No . . . . Hmmm . . . ." as Kaede began to trail off. But then scratching her head, she knew they wouldn't leave her alone until she spitted it out. So taking a deep breath, "I . . . . Kind of had my eye on that . . . ." as she pointed to a music box at the window.

Looking to the item, it appeared to be a rather old wooden box with gold plating in the front stating 'Lilium'. Then looking to his pale friend, "ahh, so Kaede-chan does like cutesy stuff like this huh?" half laughed Kohta along with Yuka and Kanae.

"That's why I didn't want you to come!" she then said defensively raising her arms.

The tanned youth blinked at this for a moment before settling into a small smile. "So do you want it?"

"Well yes, but . . . ."

"Hmm?"

"I don't have enough to buy it".

"Then I'll buy it for you then" as Kohta started to walk into the store.

"Wait! I can't ask you to do that!" But contrary to her complaints her friend took the music box as he stood in line while she stood next to him. "It's not necessary. You don't have to get it for me".

"You seem to really like it and that's good enough for me".

Kaede gave a slight blush to this to which a small smile began to form.

Kohta then held the box up as he examined it. "By the way Kaede-chan, what was it that you liked about this?"

The horned girl looked to him briefly before looking to the box as her expression then became solemn. "Along time ago, my orphanage had a field trip into the city in order to get us better acquainted with the workings of a society. But while I was there . . . ." as she bit her lip a bit while her eyes squinted slightly. "I . . . . was bullied to which I ran away". But at seeing Kohta looking to her sadly she quickly continued her story. "I ran throughout the city. As time began to pass . . . . I started to become lost and afraid as it started to become night. But then" as she looked around the store she was in. "I found myself here in front of this place, and that's when I saw this music box in the glass".

"But weren't you scared?"

"I was so scared being in the middle of the city alone at night. But when I got here, that's when I heard it. That beautiful melody that kept me company when no one was around. Without knowing it, hours quickly passed by as my caretakers found me eventually and took me back to the orphanage. But it was from that point on that whenever I wanted to feel comforted, I would sneak out to the city just to hear this song".

"But then that won't be necessary anymore" then smiled Kohta. "Because now you have us as your friends".

"Right" Kaede smiled.

Soon exiting the store, the group then decided to do Yuka's thing before finishing off the day with Kanae's visit to the park.

Just as they were about to depart, Kohta stopped in his tracks as he quickly turned back as if on the defensive.

"Is there something wrong oniisan?" asked Kanae.

". . . . No . . . . I just felt like something . . . . Bad was watching us just now".

Yuka gave a quizzical expression to this. "You're just being weird now Kohta. There is no one there, see" as the brunette looked in the direction her cousin was looking at.

"Come on" then said Kaede. "Let's get going".

Kohta looked to his group before taking a moment to look behind him again. "I guess you're right. Alright, let's get going then". As they began to walk away, the youth took one last glance behind him before looking forward again. "_Hmm, I guess it was just my imagination_".

However, "Interesting, for him to be able to sense us like he did there's no doubt that he is something unique". Around the shadowy corner, a group of menacing demons were watching the children as they were discussing amongst themselves their objective to which they then continued their conversation of the roof above.

"We must take him alive as that is our master's wishes".

One of the demons then gave an expression of ridicule to this as he gave a spat. "Such a thing like him can't be real. That 'thing' should only be a fairy tale".

"Silence!" then said the head demon. "It matters not what we think, only that we obey. We will take that boy alive as that is the only way he can be assimilated".

"And what of those other children?" as one of the demons licked his lips. "Can we eat them?"

"Do as you will. Their lives are of no concern to us".

The group snickered at this. "Haven't eaten a witch in a while. They are definitely the most delicious if they're rich in magic" and with that they departed as they stalked the group secretly from the shadows waiting for their opportune time to strike.

* * *

~ Yokohama (park) ~ (early evening)

"Come on Bun-kun! This way!" cheered Kanae as she ran around the jungle gym.

"Please slow down mistress. You didn't make my legs long enough" exclaimed the doll as it tried to keep up.

Now at this time, the park was more or less deserted which left the kids able to play to their hearts content without restraint or worry of humans seeing them which also meant they could play at their fullest without restraint.

"Hey Kaede-chan! Catch this!" said Kohta as he formed a rather large ball of energy as he tossed it to the horned girl.

Kaede focused her vectors as she caught it and threw it back to her friend. "You'll have to do better than that. I don't plan on losing this time".

Meanwhile Yuka decided to stand aside and watch as this was a particular magic game she preferred not to participate in as it was a bit too rough for her. Essentially she preferred the games human equivalent 'hot potato' since its version didn't have the ball blow up in their face. Of course it didn't hurt the player; it's just that she didn't like sudden surprises not to mention she was terrible at this game.

With the way the ball was being passed, it was no longer being thrown anymore but spiked back as hard as the children could hit it as the ball was nearing its limit of detonation.

"Take that!" as Kohta slammed the ball back.

"I won't lose this time!" retorted Kaede as she smacked it back.

After a few more passes the ball had reached its maximum limitation as it then exploded into a bright intense light.

". . . . I can't believe I lost that" said Kaede as the flash caused her to fall back slightly dazed as she rubbed the back of her head.

"Next time then Kaede-chan" as the youth offered his hand to her to which she took as he lifted her back up.

"Well it's getting late now" then said Yuka. "I think we should call it a day now".

"I guess" as Kaede looked to the sky as the sun was drifting over the horizon.

"Alright then" said Kohta as he then looked around a bit before looking a bit confused. "Hey . . . . Where did Kanae go?"

"What?" asked the brunette as she looked around, "but she was just right there at the gym with Bun-kun. She couldn't have gone far".

"Let's spread out and take a look" suggested Kaede. "That way we should be able to find her in no time" to which the group then broke up to look for Kanae and her doll.

As the group fanned out, minutes began to fall off the clock as everyone was getting worried about the young mediums sudden disappearance.

Then after a few more minutes, "Over here!" called Yuka to which both Kohta and Kaede ran to her call as they arrived to see a disturbing sight.

"Bun-kun, what happened?" asked the youth at seeing the deplorable state the doll was in as the bunny plushy was clearly shredded in half at the belly.

"Mistress Kanae . . . . She was taken . . . ." as doll was barely audible due to his half destroyed state.

"Who? Who took her?" Kohta then demanded as he picked the doll up.

"Still here . . . . Get help . . . . Trap . . . ."

"Trap?" However it quickly became apparent to the group of the dolls last warning as it was a moment too late. For in an instant, the group was instantly surrounded by many demons which caught the children by surprise. Then out from the shadows, one of the demons walked out with Kanae in hand gagged and daggling by a rope as she looked quite scared at what was going on.

"Let go of her!" Kohta demanded angrily as energy started to pulsate from his arms.

"I wouldn't do that" said the head demon in a rather deep and hardened voice as he raised his claws to Kanae's neck as she visibly tried to lean away from them. "Do anything and she will die right now".

At seeing a cut on his sister's neck as blood dripped out, Kohta had no choice but to power down as his fists fell to his side shaking in frustration. However, "what do you want?" as it was obvious they wanted something if they'd go this far to get their attention.

"You" the head demon simply said. "Surrender yourself to us and in return we'll let this child and the rest of your group live".

Kohta grunted at this. His options weren't good either way he looked at them. On one hand if he refused, his sister would be killed and there was a good chance his group couldn't fight their way out of this. But on the other hand if he agreed, there was no telling what was going to happen to him. When it came to demons in relation to magis, it was none too pretty. However this was his sister he was talking about so the option was obvious. ". . . . Do I have your word?"

"Of course" the demon said reassuringly. "Just come this way and the deal is set".

But at taking his first step, "_don't, it's a trick_" Kaede thought out frantically.

"_Kaede-chan?_" as Kohta paused resisting the normal habit of looking to people when talking to them.

"_What do you mean?_" thought out Yuka as she too was connected telepathically.

The horned girl looked grimly at this as she slowly raised her arm touching Kohta's as he soon understood what was going on.

"_As soon as that boy is captured we can eat the others_".

"_Such tasty magi blood, I can't wait to have some_".

"_That little girl is mine_".

The youth could feel his anger flaring at the demons deception, but maintained his cool as he began to plan amongst his friends. "_We're going to take them down by force. We can do it if we work together_".

"_There's too many of them_" then thought Yuka. "_We can't possibly take them all_".

"_You won't, you're not a combat type Yuka. If these demons are D-class or lower than me and Kaede-chan can handle this_" as his presence shifted to the horned girl. "_Are you going to be OK with this?_"

Kaede felt slightly intimidated at the sheer numbers she was going to face. Literally this would be her first real fight to which it was a life or death situation. Although anxious towards the situation, she could also sense Kohta's confidence in her ability to hold her own and back him up. So reaffirming her resolve, "_I'm ready when you are_".

"_But you can't just go out guns blazing_" then thought Yuka. "_That should be plan B. We should at least try to escape first_".

"_Alright alright, here's the plan_" as they then began discussing it amongst themselves.

"Your time is up" said the head demon with slight annoyance. "Now or she dies".

"I understand" then said Kohta as he began stepping forward. "Just please don't hurt her".

Slowly as the youth walked towards him, Kaede kept watch of Kohta's hand as a ball of energy slowly started to form in it as he was careful to keep it hidden from sight of their aggressors. "_Just have to wait for the signal_". As the ball continued to get bigger and just getting within reaching distance of Kanae, Kohta threw the ball back to which Kaede flip kicked it adding to its momentum as it flew back hitting a demon as it rebounded off him before flying forward hitting the head demon surprising him as he dropped Kanae.

Taking this opportunity, Kohta pulled his sister towards him as he quickly passed him over to Yuka who took the child medium. "Now go!" to which Yuka and Kanae jumped into Kaede's shadow teleporting themselves to safety.

"Why you!" as they were about to attack, but the ball used earlier rebounded back to them as it then exploded in a flash of light blinding the demons for that moment. As it cleared, they were all gone. "Where did they go?"

"Quickly look around! They couldn't have gone far!"

Somewhere in a different area of the park, "why didn't you teleport us further away?" asked Yuka.

"I tried, but they must have some sort of dampening seals up making teleportation harder. This was the maximum distance I could have gotten us".

Kaede then used her vectors to cut Kanae free as she rubbed her wrists to how sore they were. "You might want him back" as she handed back the half destroyed bunny plushy.

"Bun-kun! What did they do to you?"

"Mistress Kanae . . . . I'm sorry . . . ."

"We can save this for later" as he turned to Yuka. "Take Kanae and go. Me and Kaede-chan will buy you two time to escape".

"Why can't we run together?"

"They'll easily catch us on foot. So someone has to stay behind".

Yuka didn't like this plan one bit. However she knew her cousin was right. Those demons would easily catch up to them on foot. So with the only pathway to escape, someone needed to be a decoy to buy time for the rest. Since Kohta and Kaede were the only combat types amongst them, they were the most logical choice. But still they were just kids and they shouldn't have to do something like this. Although her cousin and friend were confident they could hold their own against these D-class demons . . . . Unfavorable events did tend to happen. But with a heavy heart, she knew what she had to do to which she took Kanae's hand as they were about to run away. "Be safe and don't take unnecessary risks" to which they then left.

Kohta nodded to this as he turned about to see the demons had now spotted them.

"Are we . . . . Going to be alright?" asked Kaede as she stood next to her friend.

"I sensed their energy. Individually they aren't that strong to which I know we can take them on. But there are still a lot of them as I don't like the numerical odds". But looking to the jungle gym, "and I think I got the perfect place to thin them out".

As Kaede looked to the direction of her friend, she gave a smirk as she was following his line of thought.

"Over there! Get them!" as the demons began to give chase. At seeing the pair split off, the group evenly divided themselves to catch them.

Kohta quickly climbed the gym as Kaede went for the swings. At the very top of the metal structure, the tanned youth blasted any demon that reared their head as they would fall to the ground below. However Kohta's position was quickly overwhelmed as the demons jumped at him. At their approach, the youth jumped to the slides as the demons quickly followed after him to see he wasn't there to which they were surprised as they were rammed from behind falling off the gym.

"Got to love teleportation" said Kohta.

Meanwhile Kaede stood on top of the swing set as her vectors kept her stable.

"Get her!" roared the demons as they charged for her. "She's just a child! Capture her already!" But contrary to appearance, there arrogance would be their undoing. As they attempted to capture the horned child they were met with frustration at how evasive she was not to mention how unnaturally strong as she knocked demon after demon down flat on their back with her vectors. With the use of some minor gymnastics while pulling off some incredible feats, the group of demons tasked to capture her had no idea why it was so difficult to catch one small child.

"Enough!" some of the demons roared as their demonic aura blazed. Using charged energy bolts, they leveled the entire playground flattening it to nothing then sand, earth, and metal debris.

"Man, some demons really have no sense of modesty" said Kohta dusting sand out of his hair. He then looked to see his pink haired friend was surrounded as she had her vectors at the ready to fight back. He then teleported in as he went back to back with Kaede.

"These guys seem pretty pissed. Are you sure we're going to be alright?" as a hint of worry was apparent in her voice to which she then felt Kohta's hand grabs hers.

"As long as you stay by my side, we'll make it" he softly smiled.

"Kohta . . . ." to which she gave a soft smile too before giving a smirk, "just don't let go".

And with that the pair ran towards one of the demons as he swung at them only to miss as they disappeared into their shadow. "Where did they go?" the beast hollered.

"Over here" called Kaede as she used a vector enhanced punch knocking one of the demons over as he collided with three others.

"Get them!" as they leaped for them. But at casting a shadow over them, the pair soon disappeared again into the ground disappearing once more.

"Where did they go now?"

"Hey ugly! This way!" Kaede taunted once again as this time she whiplashed five more of the demons with the forearms of her vectors.

"You fools! What are you doing? They are only children capture them!"

But with them only being D-class demons, they weren't exactly the brightest bunch as they lacked any form of intelligence or planning for the most part as they were slowly being picked off one by one.

As successful as they were in fending off their opponents, they were still children after all which was a bit too much to ask of them to win against such numerical odds. But fortunately for Kohta and Kaede, Yuka and Kanae ran all the way home contacting the proper authorities to which Mr. Hizashi along with other magi and demon police quickly assembled as they were instantly at the park and mopped up whatever demon was left. After the quick beat down, the magi unit rebuilt the playground as the other demon police rounded up the thugs before hauling them away. As events quickly quieted down, Yuka and Kanae were also present as they were glad nothing happened to their family and friend. Soon Kohta's father went to his son as he kneeled before them.

"Are you alright? Not hurt anywhere are you?"

"I'm alright father. Really, I am".

Mr. Hizashi breathed a sigh of relief as he looked back to his son. "Do you know why they attacked you? Did they say anything?"

"I'm not sure" then said Kohta as he scratched his cheek at this. "They just appeared out of nowhere and attacked us".

"They wanted oniisan" said Kanae. "They threatened to hurt me if oniisan didn't go with them".

"What?"

"It's true" added in Kaede.

"But why would they want you?" Yuka questioned as she looked to her cousin to which all he could do was shrug at this.

But at hearing this statement, Mr. Hizashi showed great concern and fear which started to worry the children. Before long he returned back to his tranquil expression as he smiled to them. "It's nothing, we better get you guys home now" as he then escorted them home.

Observing the memory from their third person perspective, everyone had differing opinions of what they have seen thus far. But namely for Kohta and Nyu as not only were they frustrated from not having any recollection of these events but also the lack of comprehending that they were capable of such things when they were young. Even more interestingly was that they used to be such good friends so long ago, but Nyu was more confused at this recollection. It was obvious the little horned girl was her. But why was her name Kaede?

"But I don't understand" said Tsukune to young Kohta. "These memories don't show any evidence of Nyu doing anything to harm your father or sister".

"So I was right" said Kurumu cheerfully. "Things weren't as they seemed. Nyu wasn't the one who did those terrible things".

"But there's more . . . . Isn't there . . . ." said Yukari as she could sense something sorrowful about to occur.

"Indeed" said young Kohta as his expression fell a bit.

"What do you mean?" asked Moka.

"From what we've seen thus far, Nyu-san couldn't have done those things. But . . . ." then contemplated Ruby. "I'm going to guess what we're going to see next are the events that define the current Kohta-san and Nyu-san . . . . Isn't it?" as her expression became serious.

"You're right Ruby-san" said young Kohta in a sad tone. "From one week to this day is the event which redefined our lives".

To be continued . . . .

* * *

Author's notes: Hope this was a good chapter.

So I thank you all for reading this fic and I further extend my gratitude if you can review it as well.


	20. The Coming of Despair

Rosario to Elf

Disclaimer: I do not own Elfen Lied, Rosario + Vampire, or any characters associated with either of the series.

"talking"

_thoughts_

* * *

The Coming of Despair

* * *

~ Inner World ~

"This is just . . . . Unbelivable . . . ." said Kohta.

Nyu could only nod to this as she continued to watch the memories play out.

However their reasoning were different from each other. For Kohta, it was just so much to take in as if his life so far had been a complete lie. Magic? Monsters? A world beyond the human one? They were all a part of his life as a child when he lived with his father and sister. But why did he forget? This wasn't something you can't just suddenly lose. Furthermore why didn't his other family members ever tell him about his heritage? Granted from what he's seen thus far, some of them were non-magical and simply human like the uncle and aunt he lived with thus far. But what about Yuka? Why didn't she ever come to tell him about all this? Turning his head to the ditzy girl next to him, he couldn't believe how close they used to be as kids. Even though a little over two months had passed in their memories, it was unmistakable they were such good friends. But then begged the question, "_what happened to us all those years ago? What drove her to do those things to my family?_"

But for Nyu, she was always aware of the supernatural world with the existence of magic and monsters since she was a child. However in watching these memories, a lot of gray areas began to fill up as the blank parts of her life began to become clearer. She could never clearly remember anything in her earlier childhood as they only existed as vague fragmentations in her mind. For she knew how horrible humans could be, but never quite why. As she continued to watch, it started to become clearer to her how she learned to fight and control her powers. In addition it also cleared up the mystery of why her mother never had pictures of her before the time she was seven. But strangely, the doll Kohta's sister Kanae always carried around was actually in her possession. She never knew the rabbit plushy belonged to anyone else as she still assumed till now that her mother was the one that gave it to her. In fact it was Bun-kun who taught her all about the supernatural as the rabbit educated her on the politics, etiquettes, and the types of monsters there were in the world. But then she wondered if what she was seeing was all true then why didn't Bun-kun ever tell her about all this? Why did it keep all this a secret? Wasn't this all something that she had to know? Why did the plushy keep this from her? But now looking to the boy next to her, it was shocking that her younger self had so much trust in him. So much faith in him that he would never hurt her, never betray her, and always be there for her whenever she needed him. But at that end thought she could only wonder now, "_what could have happened that tore us apart? And what really happened on that train all those years ago?_" Although she contemplated about saying Bun-kun was in her possession, she strategically decided to withhold this until their memory quest was completed.

Together watching the weeks fly by, they both were amazed at some of the scenes they saw as they remembered them. Although not consciously, they did recall them from the dreams they had. But looking to the memories in front of them, it was apparent that they weren't just dreams after all.

"But I still don't understand" said Tsukune. "Both Kohta-san and . . . . Nyu-san" stumbling a bit with her name due to inconsistencies, "was such good friends. I just don't get what could have gone wrong".

"That's right" then continued Moka. "There had to be some sort of misunderstanding".

"There was no misunderstanding of what you saw" said young Kohta. "But yet there are specific circumstances to how this all occurred".

"Like what?" questioned Kurumu as the buildup of all these events were getting to her.

"Sometimes" as young Kohta paused for a moment. "One should not ask the question if they are not going to like the answer".

"What's that supposed to mean?" then questioned Yukari. Strangely as the child witch continued to watch these playbacks, a sense of nostalgia began to blanket her. "_But why do I feel so weird? I am good friends with Nyu-san and Kohta-san. But yet . . . . Why do I feel so heavily involved with what I've been seeing . . . ._" to which she held her face scrunching a bit as if something deep down from inside of her was trying to get out.

Young Kohta noticing this simply smiled to her as he soon looked back to the ongoing memories with a stoic expression. "Soon everything will be made clear".

With that remark, the group continued watching the memories as they knew it was soon coming to an end. For now marking the new set of events, it was now the middle of August as Kohta's father had something he needed to say.

* * *

~ Yokohama (Yuka's residence) ~ (memory time)

"What?" exclaimed Kohta. "We're going back to Hokkaido tomorrow?"

"Yes" Mr. Hizashi responded sympathetically. "Work just came up and we need to go soon".

"But couldn't auntie just watch us then?" asked Kanae.

"I have considered it. However summer break is coming to an end soon. So it would make sense for us to return to Hokkaido now to prepare for the next school year".

"But I . . . ." started Kohta before trailing off as he looked out the window to see Kaede and Yuka sitting on the walkway of the external hallway talking happily with each other.

Noticing his son's hesitation, Mr. Hizashi gave a soft sigh. "I know you'll miss your friend. But don't worry; you'll see her again next summer if possible". However Kohta still appeared slum as he continued to look out the window to which he gave another sigh. "Kohta, why don't you go and play with your friend for the rest of the day. Its fine, and don't worry. I'll discuss it over with Mrs. Hikaru if we can arrange a schedule for you to visit each other as often as possible".

At hearing this statement both Kohta and Kanae brightened at this. "Thank you father!" they both said before going outside. At exiting hurriedly, this caught the attention of the girls as they looked back to the siblings.

"Kohta?" questioned Kaede.

"Come on!" said Kohta. "Let's go play!"

"What's this all about?" Yuka then questioned.

Taking this conversation on the go, the group hopped on the bus as Kohta explained the situation to his cousin and horned friend. At finishing what he had to say Yuka did appear saddened by this. However Kaede appeared completely devastated as if something horrific had been said to her. "I don't know" she then said in a saddened tone. "We might not see each other again . . . ."

"Don't worry. My dad is currently talking it over with your mom. So I'm sure we'll have plenty of times to meet each other again. But if this really is the last time we get to play together then that just makes having fun now all that more important!" said Kohta excitedly.

The horned girl gave a slight chuckle to this before smiling to her special friend. "Yeah, let's make the most of our time then".

Now in the early afternoon the group arrived at the beach and did everything one would do at a beach such as building sand castles, shell collecting, playing in the water, and running along the coast line. As time passed, it was now late afternoon as Kanae became worn out to which Yuka decided to watch over her as they sat aside wanting to watch the waves wash along the sandy beaches. This being the case, this left Kohta and Kaede up to their own devices.

Seeing this, an epiphany struck the elder Kohta at what he was watching now. "This scene . . . . I remember this scene from my dreams . . . ."

"I do too . . . ." then said Nyu as she stepped forward eyes wide like saucers to this which caught Kohta's attention at her statement. "But this was only a dream . . . . Wasn't it?"

The pair looked briefly to each other before looking back to their younger selves as the scene was playing out exactly to how they dreamed or rather how they remembered it.

For now closing to the early evening, the pair sat quietly next to each other against a boulder looking out to the setting sun. The tanned youth looked to his friend as a wide smile began to spread along his face to which she in turn did the same. But it slowly crept away as she looked towards the horizon. "Kohta . . . . Will I be . . . . Able to see you again?"

The tanned youth chuckled at her question. "Of course you will! There's no way I won't be able to see you again".

The pale girl looked down at his statement. ". . . . How long will you be away?"

Kohta scratched his head in thought as he pondered this. "I'm not really sure. Father is having some sort of business trip and wants me and Kanae to come with him. So I'm not sure how long I'll be gone or when we can meet up again".

Kaede's lips slightly wavered as tears began to form in her eyes.

At seeing her current reaction, the tanned youth immediately dug into his pocket as he slowly stretched out his arm to her revealing the contents in his hand.

"What's that?" she sniffled out.

"It's a jade stone I found when we were playing out in the forest. I wanted to give it to you because it was really pretty and it deserves to go to someone as pretty as you".

The pale girl blushed as a smile began to creep back onto her face. "Thank you Kohta, it's very beautiful".

"But it isn't just a gift" smiled Kohta. "It's a promise!"

". . . . A promise?" she asked.

"Yeah! A promise that one day I'll come back to you and we'll make up for the lost time between us!"

The tanned youth blushed as the pink haired girl leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. Kohta let out a soft chuckle as he rubbed the back of his head. "It's a promise right?"

He then went in as he hugged his best friend. "Of course it is! We'll be together again, right Kaede-chan?"

"Yeah" she whispered out.

"But before we head back to Hokkaido, we plan to go to the festival that occurs at Yokohama every year. I usually go with Yuka and Kanae every year ever since I could remember. But this year I was wondering . . . . Well . . . ." as the youth was slightly stammering while rubbing the back of his head seeming bashful. "Would you like to come along with me?"

Kaede blinked to this for moment as she was enjoying how embarrassed he seemed. She knew this would have been the first time Kohta had ever asked someone to go with him to such an event let alone a girl to which by a certain perspective he was asking her out on a date. Although she already knew they weren't going to be alone, it was fine by her since she enjoyed Yuka and Kanae company. But pausing for a moment allowing the tension to build, she enjoyed teasing him whenever she could find the opportunity to do so. But then giving a fond smile, she placed her hand over his. "I'd love that".

Kohta flushed a bit before returning a smile of his own. "Great!"

With that came the conclusion of their day as the pair soon met back up with Yuka and Kanae as they then went home to which they prepared for the coming day.

* * *

~ Yokohama (festival grounds) ~ (the next day)

Watching the flurry of activity, the audience was growing edgy at what was about to happen. Looking about nothing seemed out of place as things were as good as they could be. Observing, Kohta was waiting with his sister and cousin for Kaede to arrive. Waiting for her to come, the group talked amongst themselves of what they thought so far.

"Things look rather lively right now" said Yukari at seeing the festivities that were going on.

"Yeah" agreed Kurumu. "It all looks so fun and interesting. So these are one of those festival things that happen in the human world right?"

"It looks pretty fun" as Mizore's eyes twinkled a bit especially towards the frozen treats.

"It seems like your younger selves are currently waiting for Kaede-san to come" said Ruby

"Yes they are" said young Kohta still watching the memories without breaking contact. "However this is the night where everything changed to what has produced" looking to older Kohta and Nyu, "what you see now".

Back to the memory, Kaede had just shown up in a white yukata with pink Sakura decorations as her mother was following behind her dressed in a dark blue one. Approaching the group, the horned girl gave a shy smile as she averted her eyes scratching her cheek. "Do I . . . . Look OK?"

"You look great Kaede-chan" Kohta smiled to which Kaede cutely blushed too before returning.

"Are you children going to be alright?" asked Mikomi.

"We'll be fine Mrs. Hikaru".

"We're going to have lots of fun with Kaede-neesan!" said Kanae excitedly.

"Don't worry" then added the bunny plushy. "I'll watch over them to make certain they stay out of trouble".

"Alright then. Just be careful, OK?" to which the children nodded too before running off. Giving a soft smile to this sight, she nodded as she turned about to visit a few stalls she wanted to visit. But taking a step, Mikomi let out a shocked look as she gazed around rapidly. However she soon settled down as a few beads of cold sweat rolled down the sides of her face. "_What was that? Why did I feel as if something . . . . Evil was surrounding us?_" But not sensing it any further, she closed her eyes taking a moment to breathe as she wiped her face dry. "_Probably just my imagination_" as she attempted to brush herself off of the feeling before departing.

Meanwhile the group of children were very much enjoying themselves as they shared many laughs over the various entertainments there were as there was just so much to see and do.

"Yuka! Let's go do that next!" said Kanae grabbing the brunette's hand dragging her to the stand.

"Wait! Slow down! Don't run too fast" as Yuka tried not to stumble in her wooden sandals.

As they both ran off, this left Kohta and Kaede alone to converse amongst each other as they followed right behind them. After a bit of time, the horned girl looked about as her eyes shined at the view around her. "This is all so exciting. So many lights, so many sound, just so much to take in".

"I'm glad you came Kaede-chan" smiled Kohta.

The horned girl nodded to this before she paused as she looked around before turning to Kohta. "Kohta, are there monsters here at this festival?"

"Of course there are. As you should know while in human world, monsters are under human disguise to allow them to mingle better with them. As a matter of fact many monsters come to this festival every year as either participants or vendors" as he pointed out the few peculiarities around him to which most humans would excuse as strange quirks. But then looking back to Kaede, "and I see that you covered your horns" noting the ribbons.

"Yeah, mother didn't think it was necessary for me to have them. But I wanted to experience this festival without . . . ." pausing for a moment, "any weird looks" as she looked down with a crestfallen expression.

"Kaede-chan" as Kohta placed his hand on her shoulder. "Some humans can be stupid anyways . . . . And some demons" as a bit of an afterthought. "So you don't need to care about such people as what they say means absolutely nothing. You are you and that's all that matters".

Kaede looked to him giving a small smile. "You're right. Thank you Kohta". Truthfully if this was said by anyone else, it wouldn't have really meant much. Aside from being one of her only few friends besides Yuka and Kanae, she became well informed of the kind of lives a magi had to live. In truth what she had experienced in her short life, the magi had experienced for thousands of years by both humans and monsters as they had been persecuted, murdered, and outcaste by both kinds. Of course relationships were getting better, but it still had a lot of work to do. So it brought her comfort that someone of Kohta's background could truly understand her and the hardships she had to endure as she shared this kindred connection with them. "_But I shouldn't dwell on this. This is a festival, I should be having a good time!_" as she placed her hand to her chest in serenity. But upon that action, she felt a small lump through the fabric to which she smiled at knowing what it was. "Hey Kohta, look at this" as she parted her yukata a bit revealing a silver necklace with a green stone at the end of it.

"Ahh, isn't that . . . ."

"Yeah, it's the jade you gave me" gripping the stone in her hand. Kaede then looked to Kohta with a stern playful look in her eyes which surprised the boy a bit. "So remember Kohta that by this you promised to come back to me OK".

Kohta gave a choked laugh before recomposing himself. "Yes Kaede-chan, I promise I'll come back no matter what".

". . . . To which you'll also make me a wife" Kaede then said meekly under her breath as she looked away with a slight blush.

"What?" Kohta then asked as he didn't quite hear what she said.

"Nothing!" she flustered waving her arms to this seeming a bit embarrassed. "Let's hurry back or Yuka and Kanae are going to leave us behind!" as she soon ran off.

Kohta gave this a peculiar look before giving a solemn expression which settled into a smile. "OK" as he too ran off.

* * *

~ Yokohama (festival outskirts) ~

"Are we all in position?"

"Yes, the target is clear. We do not want to attract any more attention then what is necessary as we do not want any hindrances to our master's plan. So to be clear, we will snatch the boy as quietly as possible. But if hostilities are to occur then we've been given full permission to do what is necessary".

"But the master has come himself has he not? Why go through this much trouble to snatch a child which is something even a lower class demon in capable of?"

With that question, it was answered as a dark presence then appeared carrying with it a rather foreboding atmosphere about himself as it was apparent that all those surrounding trembled with his coming. The dark presence then looked to the underling that questioned him with menacing eyes. "Let me be very clear" he said in a dark tone. "We will accomplish what we've come here to take as nothing will stand in our way. Once we take it, there will be nothing in this world that I cannot claim as I shall become the new undisputable ruler of human and demon world".

"Ye . . . . Yes master" the underling trembled. A moment later without warning or real provocation his head was ripped violently off leaving a decapitated corpse on the ground which caused those around to shudder at the sheer brutality of their master.

The master looked to his followers making certain they were watching before he spoke. "I will not accept failure any longer as I have waited countless centuries for this opportunity. So do not dare fail me or this will be your fate" he then said in a low dangerous tone pointing out the fresh corpse.

At that finish, the underlings stood at attention as they immediately disseminated amongst the crowd as they began to slowly but surely close in on their target.

* * *

~ Yokohama (festival grounds) ~

"You have to be steady if you want to play this game" said Kanae as she was scooping up one large marble after another.

"You're too forceful, that's why the paper keeps breaking" said Yuka.

"You really suck at this" snickered Kaede.

Kohta could only sigh as he was on his fourth wand as it was self-apparent how bad he was at this scooping game. "I get it. I get it already. Let's just get to the next game please".

As the children left the stand, they wondered where they should go to next.

"So where should we go to next?" asked Yuka as she looked around.

"I'm not sure we can" then said Kanae disappointingly. "It's about time for me and oniisan to leave now".

"I see" said Kaede as she looked down for a brief moment before looking up to everyone with a smile. "Everyone" getting the groups attention. "I wanted . . . . To thank you all for the kindness and warmth you've shown me for these past two months. I swear . . . . I will never forget this. So everyone" giving a bright smile, "thank you for everything till now".

At hearing this, they were all quite touched with her words as they all smiled to it. "Don't worry Kaede-chan" smiled Kohta gleefully folding his arms behind his head as he began walking backwards. "There will still be plenty of opportunities to do this again for the next summer then the next summer and the summer after that. So let's do this next year OK?"

Kaede gave a happy nod to this accompanied by a smile. "Yeah".

"Alright, so it's getting late now and there is only time to do one more thing. So what does everyone want to do?" But before Kohta could receive an answer, he was stopped as he felt his back bump into something. Turning around, he looked up to see a rather imposing man standing before him with beading eyes staring right at him. "Sorry about that sir. I guess I should have been watching where I was going" giving a slight scoff while trying to seem apologetic.

But almost immediately the stranger grabbed him by the shirt picking him up until they were face to face as the youth struggled in his grasp.

"Oniisan!" Kanae exclaimed.

"What are you doing?" yelled Yuka.

"He already apologized you jerk!" said Kaede. "What is your problem?"

However the stranger just continued to stare as a smirk started to form. "So you're the brat my master is after. You were sure easy enough capture".

"Let go!" Kohta struggled trying to get the stranger off. But at feeling the man about to leave hurriedly with him, "I said let go!" kicking the man hard in the face prompting him to drop him as he landed on the ground to which his group was immediately at his side to see if he was OK.

"You little brat" said the stranger. "I'd had preferred this was an in and out job. But it would seem you want to do this the hard way" as his body slowly started to mutate. "Truthfully" as his body started to get bigger, "it's actually more fun to have it this way" to which amongst the crowd many individuals started to change as they discarded themselves of their human disguise taking on their true form. Upon that act many screams could be heard both human and disguised monster alike as the newly transformed monsters began randomly attacking the crowd injuring and killing civilians left and right.

"What are they doing?" asked Yuka covering her mouth in horror.

"Oniisan, I'm scared!" as Kanae clung to the back of Kohta's shirt.

"This is just . . . . Horrible . . . ." said Kaede as her eyes were wide like saucers as her body shivered slightly to the brutality she was witnessing.

Kohta watched on appalled as innocent people scattered trying to escape the onslaught of these vile creatures as they gave no mind to who they were hurting as the aggressors appeared to be enjoying this slaughter. But getting a bit of his wits back, "Stop it! Stop it now!"

"Can't do that boy" as the demon lunged for him.

Kohta barely having time to react narrowly half stepped back just to receive a minor flesh wound as four claw marks were on his arm. But remembering his training, the youth quickly attempted to calm himself and not allow the fear to get to him as he needed to jump into action and do something. Charging the great power inside of him, conduit lines lit up on his arms indicating his spell casting as shadow like arms appeared swerving on the ground like snakes as they slithered towards the intended target climbing up the enemy completely binding his movement.

Seeing this happen, Kaede immediately got a handle over herself as her friend was fighting which focused her as she needed to fight too in order to protect the people that meant something to her. So summoning out her vectors, she formed several fists with her psychic hands as they got to work pummeling the foe Kohta had immobilized. At landing an nth amount of punches creating severe damage, the enemy appeared completely knocked out to which Kohta released his shadow binding spell allowing their foe to fall to the ground.

Allowing their adrenaline to settle a bit, the children began to talk amongst each other.

"What are we going to do?" asked Yuka as she was hyperventilating a bit. "This is just so scary I don't know what we're supposed to do" as the brunette was trying her hardest not to break down.

Kohta trying to stay calm and be brave for his group looked around scanning the situation the best he could understand. It was apparent that whoever these demons were, there target was him. Although he didn't know why, it wasn't important right now as it was something he could question later once they were in a much safer situation. But seeing the vicious slaughter going on around him, it was obvious that the goal of these demons was to cause mass discord as it was nearly impossible to get anyone through this kind of crowd thus making escape by foot difficult. With their size, they would more than likely be trampled to death by the adults in their heightened state.

"Can't you just teleport us out?" Kaede then questioned.

Trying to focus himself showing the strain on his face, "I can't" said Kohta. "I can't . . . . . It seems something . . . . Is keeping me from doing so . . . ."

"Then we'll run" said Yuka as she looked ready to turn tail with them all.

Just as Kohta was about to agree, "I can't run" said Kanae on the very edge of tears. "I'm so scared . . . . My legs . . . . My legs don't want to move . . . ." she said fearfully.

"We have no choice then . . . ." as Kohta closed his eyes for a moment to think this over. "I'll stay behind and protect Kanae while you two go get help".

"Why don't we just carry her!"

"But neither Kaede-chan nor I can fight alone or while holding Kanae. Plus with the way you're all dressed, it should be hard enough to move as it is. So this is the only thing we can do".

"But it's too dangerous!" Yuka retorted.

"I know that's why I'm doing it".

"I'll stay with you then" said Kaede.

"No! Go with Yuka and get help!"

"I won't!" Kaede then shot back. "You can't do this alone. If we work together I know we can do this! I want to protect you both!"

Kohta bit his lip at how complicated this was all becoming.

"I'll go then" said Yuka hesitantly. "If I go by myself, I should be able to slip away and find your dad. I'll tell him where you are".

The youth shook his head slightly slapping his face smearing it while sliding his hand down. But then looking back to his cousin, "Just please be careful OK?"

"Alright" the brunette nodded as she soon turned about and departed.

"I'm sorry oniisan" said Kanae as she seemed about ready to break down into tears at the trouble she was causing, but then felt a pat on her head which caused her to look up to see her brother placing his hand on her head rubbing it slightly.

"It's not your fault" said Kohta calmly. "Just stay with us and we'll keep you safe OK".

"But it's so scary. You shouldn't have to do this". However the child then felt a hand on her shoulder to which she looked back to Kaede who was equally trying to be as calm and collected as her brother.

"Don't worry. Your brother is one of the bravest people I know. So don't worry as he'll be fine and I'll be there to protect him as well OK".

Kanae slightly brightened to this as she gave a nod.

But contrary to what she said, Kaede still could feel herself somewhat shaken as fear lingered at the very edge of her mind. So activating her telepathy, she connected to Kohta as she didn't want to worry Kanae. "_Are we really going to be alright? There are so many of them and they feel so much stronger then what we've faced before . . . ._" as she began to shiver in intimidation to what she felt.

"_I know Kaede-chan . . . . I know . . . ._" as Kohta was quite scared himself. Amongst these many demons, he could feel the presence of one of them as its evil aura blanketed the entire area. Frankly whoever it was, it was stronger than anything he has ever felt as this creature easily felt like a class B demon judging by how openly his presence was felt and probably stronger if it was still holding back. If this demon were to fight him and Kaede, it was almost certain they would both die trying to defeat this creature. However he could only hope his dad would show up in the nick of time as their situation was already bad enough as it is. But looking back to Kaede, "_it's going to be alright. We just need to hang on until my father gets here_".

Kaede could sense uncertainty within her friend. However she could also feel his unyielding courage of wanting to protect both her and Kanae. Keeping this is mind; this gave her courage to do what needed to be done. "OK, let's do this".

Leaving the crowd, some demons began to approach them.

"We're only here for the boy right? What about those other kids?"

"Whatever we want" as the monster licked his lips. "They're especially chewy and crunchy when they're young".

"They can also serve some . . . . Other purposes" said the other monster looking disgustingly to them.

"_This is no time to be afraid_" pushing his fear aside as Kohta stood before the demons unwaveringly. "_Kaede-chan, link us up_".

"_Done__" _as Kaede synced up their senses and thoughts_"I'll watch your back as you'll you watch mine OK_".

"_Get ready Kaede-chan, here they come_".

The horned girl nodded as she prepared herself by redoing the leggings of her yukata with enough room for her legs to move around more easily. Looking to her opponents with her own eyes, she was also seeing them through Kohta's as the enemy was now charging at them. It was a rather strange sensation for the both of them when they first done this. But through practice and tuning, this method greatly improved their combination and reactions as this shared sight provided perspective and information the other was not seeing as they were able to plan ahead together in real time allowing them to act almost immediately to the changing situation to overcome the enemy. Due to the difference between them in both numbers and experience, this was an advantage that they needed. "_So what's the plan?_"

"_We take them down one at a time. Rinse and repeat_. _But most importantly, don't take any more risks then we need too_".

"_I understand, so how are we going to do this?_"

"_Like before_" to which the battle began. As the demons approached them quickly baring their claws and fangs, Kohta went to work using his shadow binding spell to hold them all. However it was not as effective as this spell was generally strongest when used against one opponent at a time to which the monsters were still slowly trudging towards them.

At seeing their opponents slowed mobility, Kaede jumped into action using her vectors as she began launching a barrage of psychic punches attempting to pummel their opponents into submission. But at still seeing them coming, "_there much tougher than I thought_" as she knew her current attack was strong enough to at the very least crack a boulder.

"_I know, I'm barely holding them back and there are only three of them_" as Kohta was straining just to hold them. "_They must be at least C class demons with how hard they're pushing_" as the youth was tensing at how much focus he needed just to limit their movements. Then taking a glimpse back spotting Kanae still shivering in fear, "_I refuse to give up! I won't give up!_"

Kaede feeling Kohta's determination needed to amp up her game. For she understood like her friend that they couldn't take the real offensive with their combination hit and run tactic like they did before. In doing so, they would leave Kanae unguarded and that was something they couldn't afford. So concentrating her attacks, she condensed her vector to the best of her ability launching the psychic fist out knocking one of the monsters out. Seeing the success to this, the horned girl proceeded to knock down the second demon as she then began to work on the third. Working on their last class C demon, this eased Kohta's efforts as he was able to concentrate his shadow binding spell on their last opponent.

However, "mistress Kaede! Watch out!" Bun-kun called as right behind them several spines were being shot at them as another class C demon appeared aiding their comrades.

Reacting to the call and seeing it through Kaede's eyes, Kohta turned his head to the direction of the attack raising his other hand up materializing a circular shield of runes stopping the boned projectiles from touching them. "_Kaede-chan!_"

"_I know!_" as Kaede redirected her attention grabbing the new arrival raising him up as she begun repeatedly slamming the demon against the ground as hard as she could before throwing him to the other demon Kohta had bounded.

"_We should be fine if we can keep up this pace_". But almost as if fate was contradicting him, several more class C demons emerged in various shapes and forms which almost immediately sent what little hope the children had down the drain.

"_What are we going to do?_" as Kaede was feeling hopelessness towards their current situation. "_There are too many of them!_"

Kohta flinched as his friend was right. There was simply too many of them to defend themselves against. Even if they tried to make a run for it now, the likely chance of them making it out alive was practically in the negative margins with the odds they were looking at coupled by their current situation. "_Come on . . . ._" he prayed for some sort of ray of hope to come their way.

As if his prayers were being answered, "Kohta!" Kohta's father called as he was fighting his way through the crowd just to get to his children and their friend.

"Father!" Kohta exclaimed quite ecstatically.

"Daddy!" happily said Kanae.

"Thank goodness that Yuka was able to make it" said Kaede at seeing the appearance of the elder man as he was easily taking on several class C demons without breaking a sweat.

"Stop him! Kill him at all costs!"

"Don't let him through!"

"You won't get pass us!"

"Get out of my way!" shouted Kohta's father. Even though several attacks were flying at him in both close and long distance, the elder man quite skillfully maneuvered around while using little of his magic to protect himself as he made his way to the children. After sending out a flurry of attacks of his own to clear his way, he finally reached them. "Are you guys OK?" kneeling before them but still keeping well aware of his surroundings for any approaching enemies.

"We're OK" said Kohta.

"We're saved" then added Kaede in relief.

"I was so scared!" cried Kanae as she hugged her father.

"It's alright now, you're safe. My backup will be here very soon to deal with all of them".

"Well we can't have that now, can we?"

Upon that statement, the children felt like fainting at feeling this overwhelming and evil presence that now surrounded them as the pressure of this enormous power felt like several tons of weight was just placed on their shoulders weighing them down. However the elder Hizashi was having a better time in withstanding the new presence, but it was clearly written on his face that something terrible now stood before them.

"It would seem a new set in scenery will be required" as the dark presence snapped his fingers to which a spell circle began to write itself under everyone.

At seeing this, it alarmed Kohta's father. "A teleport spell! We need to get off it! Now!"

"Too late" then responded the dark presence as the circle completed itself instantly transporting all those on the circle away to another destination.

* * *

~ Unknown Place ~

"Are we . . . . Are we on a train?" questioned Kohta. Looking around, it was apparent that they along with several of the hostiles were translocated onto a moving train as it was speeding away to destinations unknown. For the rapid jump did leave everyone a bit disoriented. However, not so much for the dark presence as he was instantly before him grabbing him by the shirt lifting him off the ground which instantly alarmed his father.

"Release him immediately!"

The dark presence simply smirked to this as several of his henchmen repositioned themselves shielding him from the elder man. "I have waited centuries for this moment and I'm not going to let this chance slip through my fingers. Not when I'm so close to absolute power".

Upon hearing this, Kohta's father showed shock as his eyes went wide.

"Ahh, judging by your expression you know what your son really is. But no matter as soon he will belong to me". Then directing his attention to his underlings, "as for all of you make yourself useful and provide me the time needed. My assimilation spell will take some time" to which he then began leaving for another cart. "And do not fear, since we're on a moving train there is no way we should be disturbed by anymore nuisances".

"Yes master!" they all chanted together.

"Kohta!" exclaimed Kaede at seeing her friend being taken away.

"Oniisan!" Kanae cried out as she tugged at her father shirt to spur him into action.

"Father! Help!" Kohta shouted out in fear to the situation.

"Kohta! Hold on!" But instantly, several of the dark one's goons stood in his way which forced the elder Hizashi to step back in defensive stance as he grunted to the situation he was in. One eye twitching in anxiety, he maneuvered his hand back pushing Kanae and Kaede behind him. "Stay behind me, I will keep you safe".

"But Kohta was . . . . Kohta was . . . ." Kaede stuttered as she was attempting to maintain her bearings.

"I'll get him back. So please stay out of this as I need to focus now in defeating all these demons" to which Kanae and Kaede nodded too after observing the situation before stepping back.

Just like that, Mr. Hizashi began the battle as he was showing more fighting spirit then he has ever displayed before. For desperation was his drive as he needed to save his son at all costs even if it meant to die trying.

Even though he was surrounded, the magi officer was clearly more experienced and powerful as he was skillfully turning the odds into his favor employing the many spells he knew ranging from defense to binding in order to overcome this desperate battle.

As this was occurring, both Kanae and Kaede watched in awe at how powerful the elder man was.

"Father is amazing" said Kanae.

Kaede could only nod to this at seeing the sheer difference in power displayed before her. She always knew that Kohta's father was strong, but watching the battle now only reaffirmed just how tough he was. Seeing demon after demon go down, "_Hang on Kohta, we'll be there soon_".

However unbeknownst to them all even to the elder Hizashi, there was something important they were all missing as this lack of understanding was going to cost them dearly. Being too busy with the extremeness of their dilemma they failed to notice that who they were fighting now was not the real enemy that they should be facing. As each demon fell, a small little spider would crawl off of them as they tried to move away to safety. But as the struggle went with random movements and blasts of demonic and magical abilities, many of these little arachnids perished rather violently. However with impact of some of these powerful attacks, pulsating forces could be felt riveting off of those closes enough to feel it. But for something as small as those spiders, it carried them to safety to which unknowingly one of these little arachnids found its way to the base of a certain horned girl's foot. Unknowingly to her knowledge, the little arachnid began to crawl upwards as it soon found its way to the base of her neck. Before long it bit down hard as the spider soon merged to the back skin of her neck which caused her eyes to go silent as her head titled down which caused her bangs to shadow her face.

Almost right at that moment, the elder Hizashi had finished off the last of his opponents before opening the door to the next cart. "Follow closely behind!" as he proceeded through.

"Come on Kaede-neesan" said Kanae as she tugged at the horned girl's sleeve. "We're going to be alright. Father is going to save oniisan now!" as she began dragging Kaede to which she stumbled a bit following along.

But unknown to either of them, this was where their fate would come to an end as a strange smirk began to spread along the horned girl's face.

* * *

~ Train Transit (a few carts down) ~ (several minutes earlier)

At seeing the first chance he could find, the tanned youth tried to struggle. However it was quite the futile effort as his detainer was obviously far stronger than him due to how he could easily move him with one arm. Taking this chance now, he attempted to use the most destructive spell he knew to blast himself free of the demon. But to no avail, it proved ineffective as the dark presence continued to move unscathed and practically uncaring to his escape attempt as this just showed the major difference in power between him and the dark presence.

But then finally stopping, the dark presence looked to him as a malicious smile began to form. "Let's begin then shall we?" as he slammed Kohta into the ground as the youth physically rebounded off the floor sending a severe shock through his body. Just proving his level of cruelty, the demon began kicking Kohta in several places as his well placed shots easily broke bones breaking his legs, fracturing his arms, and cracking his ribs. Finally after such a brutal beating, he placed his foot on the side of Kohta's head as he exerted pressure pressing him into the ground. "Now hold still as this still will require some time to prepare" as he began chanting a spell underneath his breath.

"_So much . . . . Pain . . . ._" thought Kohta as his body withered in agony. Never before had he ever been in such bad shape as every part of him was screaming to him in torture. It was now that terror completely taken over as his body was now running on a flight or fight response to which his conduit lines lit up as his circular shield of runes appeared between his face and his aggressors foot pushing him off as hard as he could. With that slight opening, Kohta attempted to escape. But at best, he was barely crawling away due to his broken limbs and cracked ribs. Due to the overwhelming pain, tears could not help but escape his eyes as every fiber of his being was screaming at him to escape.

"Pathetic" was all the dark presence could say at watching his prey's futile efforts. Almost in a taunting manner, he slowly followed the trail of blood Kohta left behind as he soon kicked him hard sending him a few feet forward as he was now on his back. Then stretching out from his coat, a spider's like leg emerged. Within blinding speed, it jousted out piercing Kohta right through the chest easily going right through him creating a hole within the metal flooring he laid on. Upon doing the deed, the spider like leg retracted back into his coat. "Try not to die on me as this will be over soon" as he continued to chant some spell underneath his breath.

As Kohta laid there dying on the floor, his eyes slowly began to become lifeless as his life was slowly drifting away as death or possibly a fate far worse was going to take him. Slowly drifting off, the youth's soul began to fall deeper into his sub-consciousness.

* * *

~ Inner World (library) ~

"Where am I? I'm . . . . I'm dying . . . ." said Kohta as he lay bleeding and broken on the floor surrounded by what he could tell was some sort of massive library. Peeking around, it was clear that everything around him was disappearing as it was being swallowed by the darkness. In knowing his coming fate, despair had completely overtaken him as he felt completely crushed at his inevitable death.

But then out from the darkness, an adult figure appeared as it slowly walked out from the shadows approaching Kohta as it looked down to him.

Noticing the new presence, the youth looked to the entity but couldn't clearly focus his eyes due to the condition he was in. However there was no point in being wary to the new presence as he was dying now which threw the need for self-preservation out the door. So mustering whatever he had left, "who . . . . Who are you?"

The figure just continued to look on before a soft smile appeared to which it knelled down placing his hand on Kohta chest covering the injury he had. "I have been waiting for you Kohta".

To be continued . . . .

* * *

Author's notes: Hope this chapter was exciting as the next chapter will be the final part of this memory quest as hopefully things will becoming more exciting from here.

Also thank you everyone for your support in reading as I would like to further my gratitude by thanking you all for your kind patronage in leaving a review telling me what you think. So hope to see everyone in the next chapter.


	21. The Beginning of Everything

Rosario to Elf

Disclaimer: I do not own Elfen Lied, Rosario + Vampire, or any characters associated with either of the series.

"talking"

_thoughts_

* * *

The Beginning of Everything

* * *

The enigmatic figure just continued to look on before a soft smile appeared to which it knelled down placing his hand on Kohta's chest covering the injury he had. "I have been waiting for you Kohta".

"What . . . . Are you? Where am I?"

"There is no time for questions Kohta. Your physical body has sustained fatal injuries. If something is not done soon you will die. However that 'man' will probably absorb you first before that".

"What can I do?" the boy coughed out as the pain was now starting to get to him.

The figure stared at him remaining silent for a moment before deciding to speak. "I have the power to save your life. However the cost . . . . Would be enormous. But it will save your life".

"I don't understand . . . . " said Kohta feeling dazed due to the pain. "What cost?"

"There is not much time left. After that 'man' is done with us he'll turn his attention to your father and sister".

"Father . . . . Kanae . . . ." as his body trembled. "Please . . . . I don't want them to get hurt". Kohta struggled to maintain some semblance of his consciousness. "I have to help them . . . ."

The enigmatic man remained silent for a moment before speaking again. "To save your life, your soul must merge with mine as my natural abilities should be sufficient enough to heal you and give you enough strength to defeat him".

At hearing what must be done for this to occur, "but what will happen to me then? Will I disappear?"

"Yes and no" as the enigma was trying to be patient with the dying boy. "Now . . . . You must take a leap of faith. Whether to die here doing nothing or venture into the unknown with uncertainty on your shoulder" giving a pause to allow this to sink in. "What is your decision Kohta?"

Kohta was scared. So scared with how much was just dropped in front of him to whom he had no idea what to say or do. But regardless of how terrified he was as death was creeping right as his doorstep or what this being was saying, he wanted to protect his friends and family. When this creature was done with him, it was going to turn on the people he cared about. So without a second thought, his path was set. "What do I have to do?"

"A spell to merge our souls was already put in place in the event something like this was to happen. All you must do now is call out my name to finish the sequence".

"But . . . . I don't know your name" as Kohta was slowly beginning to fade.

"Stay with me child and focus. Try to keep yourself stable for a little longer. You must remember now. A name you have not called yourself for a long time. Now remember! And call out my name!"

Looking to the man, Kohta began to waver as his eyes began to shut from how extremely tired he felt. "Your name . . . . I remember now . . . . Your name is . . . ."

* * *

~ On Transit (train cart physical world) ~

"_Almost done_" as the dark figured man was finishing his chant. "_Soon all your power will be mine_". Now on the last verse of his spell, the dark figure felt his body suddenly freeze at the overwhelming near suffocating presence that had enveloped him. Trying to speak, he found his throat clogged as if he was being buried by this enormous pressure of power that was being expelled onto him. But as rattled as he was, he managed to focus his senses to where this power was coming from as it was protruding from the boy he had recently mangled. "_Impossible, this should not be happening!_"

Right before his eyes Kohta's once bleeding and broken body was healing instantaneously as his bones realigned, his external epithelial tissue began weave itself shut, and the hole in his chest was closing up on its own appearing as good as new. Upon the completion of his regeneration, his body began to levitate off the floor until he maneuvered back into standing position. At that moment, his eyes snapped open glaring at him. With it came an ominous darkness which threatened to swallow him if he were to stare for longer.

"There is no way you could have awakened. You were not supposed to emerge till several years later!" The boy in question that now stood before him could have very well been a different person with the aura he emitted as his presence alone froze his body.

Kohta looked to the dark figured man with restraint with how much anger he felt in relation to what he knew. "I know what you have been doing . . . . and I know what you have done . . . . Onigumo".

The dark figured man continued to struggle from the immense power that was holding him. But no avail, it proved fruitless.

"A once proud spiritual monk centuries ago who fell with the temptation of power. You even went as far as using your own body as a vessel to fuse several demons into one form in order to prolong your life. But for your obsession, you looked to assimilate a member of my kind. In your search, you found me. However you could not directly come at me as I would have destroyed you within a heartbeat. And so you spent the next few centuries hunting down members of my bloodline narrowing my possible reincarnations until it was down to the last of my line . . . . The Hizashis". Kohta's eyes narrowed more to this trying his hardest to restrain himself while leveling his tone. "It has been our kind's greatest rule to why I never dealt with you before. But for your crimes against my clansmen and for coming for this boy directly" as a black ball of darkness appeared in his hand. ". . . . I sentence you to oblivion" flicking his hand, the dark energy ball flew forward stopping right in front of its intended target.

Like that, streaks of black lightning appeared leeching out grabbing the dark figured man as it began pulling him in as the matter of fact was that the ball of darkness was a miniature black hole as there was no escaping from this attack. Even if Onigumo tried, his muscles were still petrified before the monstrous creature he had sorely underestimated. Slowly the black ball began to absorb his body breaking and condensing as it took it into itself towards oblivion. As the attack did its work, it revealed the disfigured and disproportional human made demon's body as Onigumo was a disgusting amalgam of different demon parts as his figure was shaped similarly in the form of a spider. After eating away over half of his body, the fallen monk gave a low chuckle before letting out a maniacal laugh.

"Something funny?" Kohta asked as his cackling was now starting to bother him.

"Don't think that this is over. Do you honestly believe that I would not have planned for this? Even if this body dies, I shall remain. For you . . . . You are now the last!" as soon he could not speak for any longer as his face became crushed and torn within the singularity of the black hole as all that remained of him now was a memory as the sphere collapsed on itself.

Standing alone in the cart hearing as they rolled along the rails, Kohta couldn't help but feel unsettled with Onigumo's last testament. He knew they weren't the words of a bluff. But if so, then what did they mean? What bothered him even more were his last words of being 'the last'. What do they mean? What do they mean? So closing his eyes, he searched for clarity in the infinite sight of darkness. Searching within the eternal void he saw it as his eyes snapped open face now filled with horror. "No! No! No!" But then he collapsed holding his chest as he coughed out blood. After that brief painful episode, he stood up as he began to run phasing through each door passing through each cart as pain and desperation weighed on his heart praying that he mistook what he saw. After racing back through six carts, heartache was all the remained at what was displayed before him now.

His father decapitated with his sister cleanly cut in half on the ground as tears were still present in her eyes from how terrified she was. He then knelt down holding what was left of Kanae as he was speechless to what had happened. Looking up, he saw his pink haired friend covered in their blood with her back turned to him. However with his newly acquired infinite insight, he knew that wasn't Kaede. It was him! "Why?" Kohta cried out. "Why did you do this? Why did you have to kill father and Kanae? They had nothing to do with this!"

Upon his call, the evil presence in Kaede's form began to turn around wearing a malicious smile, but strangely her eyes were soaking in tears.

"Answer me! The one you wanted was me wasn't it? Then you should have come after me!"

"I told you" said Kaede in Onigumo's voice. "Even if my body were to die, I shall remain. With the death of your father and sister, you are now truly the last of your bloodline".

"I will kill you . . . ." Kohta's voice leaked venomously.

"It wouldn't really matter" the fallen monk stated indifferently. "Each of my spiders" holding one up on his finger, "carries a fraction of my soul allowing me to dwell in the minds of others. Even if you were to kill this body I still have plenty of pieces of me spread out all throughout the world contingent if my main body were to die. However" as he summoned out Kaede's vectors. "I was not expecting such a jewel like this" as he then cut a bench cleanly in half. "Such marvelous potential and incredible destructive power. Something that even defies the natural logic of magic" to which he gave a chuckle too. "Your father put up a good fight. Even I was surprised at how this girl's powers were able to rip through his magic as if it were paper. Such a splendid ability. I'll be sure to assimilate her into my fold".

"Release her immediately Onigumo!" as Kohta now stood up with his powers radiating in fury.

"Now let's see how her powers fair against yours" as the fallen monk sent Kaede's vectors out to attack the youth.

Instinctively, Kohta's circular shield reacted in attempt to protect its master. But it was for naught as the psychic hands passed right through them without resistance reaching for the boy as it soon punched a gaping cylinder right through his stomach to which Kohta's face displayed shock as he fell to his knees. Instantly his wounds healed as he then stood up with a pained expression.

"Amazing, truly amazing" Onigumo snickered. "Even your powers can't stop hers. But I wonder how long you can endure. Even for your kind, your regenerative abilities are limited by the amount of magic you have. Considering your current shell is far too young and underdeveloped, you shouldn't have too much magic left due to your recent regeneration and the spell you used earlier". He then summoned the vectors out once more as he snickered once again as he was a breath away from his ultimate goal. "I might just get more then I could have possibly dreamed of".

Kohta cringed a bit. The fallen monk was right. So long as he had magic, he was close enough to be immortal as no wound could kill him. But considering the risks of his soul merger . . . . It couldn't be helped as the youth understood he was fighting not only against Onigumo but also against the clock. Just to stack more problems on top of it, Onigumo was holding Kaede captive with whatever he was controlling her with. Seeing the situation as it was, it was more of a question if he could survive long enough to save her.

With that, the battle raged on.

* * *

~ Inner World (Kaede's mind) ~

"Stop! Please stop it!" Kaede cried screaming at the top of her lungs. However she was powerless now. But more so, she was devastated.

Her current projection was trapped on a spider's web disabling her ability to move as she was hung up between two trees. Down below stood Onigumo as a portal was opened in front of him showing him what he saw through her eyes as somehow he was now the one controlling her body.

However what hurt the most for Kaede was what the fallen monk had made her body do. She was forced to watch as she slaughtered Kohta's father and sister. Furthermore, she was now in the process of killing her best friend and she could not do anything to stop it as her vectors were hurting him.

"Please . . . ." she begged. "Don't hurt him anymore . . . ." Each time her vectors torn him up, he would regenerate. However it was beginning to slow down as it took longer for him to get back up indicating that he was dangerously close to running out of magic. "Kohta!"

* * *

~ On Transit (train cart physical world) ~

"_I can't take anymore of this . . . ._" as Kohta slouched holding his chest trying to maintain his footing. Kaede's vectors were truly a menacing force as it was capable of cutting through every spell he had. Even dodging was difficult due to the narrow spacing and how flexible his horned friend's abilities were.

However during the course of this fight, he discovered how he could save his pink friend. The spider controlling her was anchored at the very base of her neck as it dug itself right under her skin. But at this point in time he didn't have enough power to teleport in behind her to extract the arachnid. Even with his ability to become incorporeal, Kaede's vectors were still able to touch him forcing him to play defensive.

With how things were, he just needed one chance. One small opening to save his friend.

"_Come on . . . . There has to be something I can do . . . ._"

"_Kohta!_" Kaede's voice screamed out telepathically echoing inside her friend's head.

"_Kaede-chan?_"

"_Kohta! I'm so . . . . I'm so . . . . I'm so sorry" _her voice trembled._ "I can't . . . . I can't . . . ._"

The youth then focused his sight as he stared right into his friend's eyes. For as they say, the eyes were the windows to the soul. That being at it was he saw Onigumo reflecting back at him. Just past him was Kaede as she was tied up in a spider's web. "_Kaede-chan, I need you to help me now. I'm almost out of magic. If I take any more damage we'll be done for. I need you to take control back_".

"_I can't . . . . He's too powerful_".

"_Don't believe him. He is in your mind, your world. You are your world's only master. You must take control!_"

"_I can't . . . . He's completely severed it. . . ._"

"_That's not true Kaede-chan because you're crying right now_".

"_What?_"

"_Your physical body, you're crying. Onigumo hasn't completely severed your control. Kaede-chan, I know you have the willpower. All you need to do is push_".

"_I . . . . I can't do it . . . ._"

Kohta couldn't wait any longer. Any further, he will completely run out of magic putting himself and Kaede at the mercy of this lunatic. So if anything was going to happen, it had to happen now. So whether his horned friend was ready or not, he had to have faith that she could pull through for the both of them. With that resolve, he shot forward doing his best to dodge whatever psychic hand got in his way. Just closing a few feet away, several more vectors stood in front of him as the one's he dodged were now trailing right behind him. "_I'm not going to make it_".

Seeing her vectors closing in on her friend, her eyes widened as her heart tightened as she didn't want to hurt him anymore. Just inches away from touching him, "_stop it!_" she screamed.

"There!" as Kohta noticed the minor delay as he swerved pass the psychic arms. Getting at point blank, he swiped his hand across Kaede's neck phasing through only remaining corporeal long enough to grab the spider before reemerging out on the back side of her neck. In completing his task, his friend then fell silent as she collapsed to which Kohta swirled around catching her as he laid her on the floor. Then standing up, he opened his hand revealing a small spider trapped in a miniature barrier he erected.

"So close, I was so close" Onigumo cursed.

"It's over" said Kohta. "You're finished now".

"Ku ku ku, well what are you waiting for? Do it. You said you were going to kill me didn't you?"

Kohta's eyes flinched as his hand reacted a bit.

"Well what are you going to do? I killed your father and sister. Don't you feel obligated to avenge them? Or are you too gutless to finish what you said?"

Kohta then glared to the creature in his hand as he was only one muscle spasm away from crushing him. However, he already knew why he was baiting him on.

"What's wrong? Can't do it?"

"No, I will not kill you. As tempted as I am, I won't. That will only send you to the next body and I will not allow that". Smoke like darkness then began to appear surrounding the spider as it wrapped around him. "With what little power I have, I'm going to seal you away in a place you will never hurt anyone again".

"Do you really believe with what power you have left that you can seal me forever?"

"Perhaps not forever, but what I can do is buy time. A time when I'll be fully ready and more then capable of ridding this world of you".

Onigumo chuckled at this. "We'll see dark one. We'll see" to which he was now sealed.

Kohta then redirected his attention to his horned friend as she was still unconscious on the floor. Then scooping her up, he laid her on the bench as soon scooted back to take a seat. Upon sitting the youth vomited out more blood as he held his chest with how painful that convulsion was. "I just need to keep it together for a bit longer . . . ." Onigumo was right, with how weakened he was his seal would only keep him trapped for a few years. Taking into account of the fallen monks manipulative and methodical nature, there was a chance that he had more tricks up his sleeve that he didn't count on. But analyzing the time he had left, it was too late to do anything for himself. However there was something he could do to keep his friend safe, but at a price.

"Kohta . . . ." as Kaede soon sat up rubbing her head.

"Kaede-chan!" standing up in front of her.

"I . . . . I . . . . I'm so sorry!" Kaede cried out tears once again streaming down her cheeks. "I tried . . . ." she hiccupped. "I tried, but I . . . . I couldn't stop him. I'm so sorry Kohta. I'm so sorry!" closing her hands around her face biting her lip trying to control herself. She felt horrible. She was responsible for the death of Kohta's father and sister, and there was nothing she could do to make this right. But then she felt her hands being peeled back as Kohta was looking to her softly with tears also in his eyes.

"It wasn't your fault. You did everything you could to stop him".

"No I didn't" she then shot back. "If only I tried harder then they wouldn't have had to die!"

Kohta let out a sigh. "Kaede-chan . . . . It wasn't your fault" as he patted her head. "For whatever you may think and for whatever you may feel . . . . Know that you are now and always forgiven".

"Kohta . . . ." as Kaede's lips wavered as she began to cry some more.

The youth's eyes narrowed at the difficult decision he was about to make. But it had to be done. So slipping his hands to her shoulder getting to the base of her neck, he unlinked her necklace removing it as he wrapped it around her wrist.

"Kohta? What are you doing?"

". . . . I'm so sorry Kaede-chan. But this is the only thing I can do for you to keep you safe" with one hand around her wrist with the other cupping against her cheek. "I'm going to need you to go to sleep for a while. This bracelet" removing his hand revealing the newly created silver jewelry, "will keep you hidden from the demon world and allow you to blend in with the human one. But to keep you hidden . . . . Your soul must be suppressed as everything you remembered . . . . Will now be forgotten".

At hearing this Kaede could only shake her head to this. "No! I don't want to forget you! Please, don't make me forget!"

"Kaede-chan" rubbing the tears from her eyes. "Do you remember what I told you? The promise I made?"

The horned girl gave a slow nod to this. "You promised . . . . To come back to me".

"And I will, I will Kaede-chan. So please just for now . . . . Wait for me".

Kaede gave another slow nod to this. Although she didn't understand everything, she trusted her friend. With a swirl of his finger, the green jewel on her bracelet glowed as her horns soon disappeared as she soon fell silent as Kohta laid her back on the bench.

Then backing off from her, Kohta's body convulsed again as he vomited blood. "I guess I've about reached my time limit . . . ." The youth then wiped his mouth clean as he straightened himself out. "So how long did you know?"

". . . . For some time now".

Kohta turned around to see his father or at least his ghost floating in front of him. "How?"

"Every clue here and there. Your unnatural growth, you're lacking of a medium to use magic, your uncommon magical traits. For a long time, we had only thought you as a story passed down our line. But seeing it with my own eyes . . . . I still can't believe that here you are standing before me".

". . . . Do you blame me for bringing this omen upon our family?" as Kohta looked away ashamed.

"No" the elder Hizashi then said. "It's a great honor to be 'his' new vessel as well as a great responsibility. But I'm sorry that you must now bare this burden alone my son".

Kohta gave a nod happy to his father's understanding. But then looking around, "where is Kanae?" at not seeing her soul around.

"The shinigami has already taken her away. It would seem your little sister has chosen reincarnation as she chose to be reborn in the vessel of a dying girl giving her new life".

Kohta let out a soft chuckle. "Definitely sounds like Kanae to do something like that". He then closed his eyes momentarily before reopening them. "How long can you stay father?"

"Not long. The shinigami allowed me to stay for this long to allow me to talk to you. Soon they'll come for me to take me to the afterlife".

"I see" but then convulsed again as Kohta vomited out more blood greater than the ones before.

"What's wrong? Are you OK?"

After wiping his mouth, "no" shaking his head. "It was too soon. Far too soon for me and Kohta to meet like this" looking to his hand. "His body is far too young to handle the enormity of what I am, and because of this my energy is causing a feedback which is injuring him. Overtime we were meant to gradually meet until his coming of age when he was able to fully accept me for what I am".

"What will happen now?"

". . . . To save his life we must diffuse from each other. However, it is not without consequences".

"Consequences?"

"Although the fusion between us was incomplete, we have bled too far into each other. Although I can re-seal myself, a part of Kohta will be sealed with me. But there is no telling the extent of the damage of what this occurrence may bring. However it must be done".

"Will he ever regain that part of his soul back?"

"In time . . . . When he is ready to meet me".

A person in black robes then appeared taking the elder Hizashi's arm. "It's is time" to which Mr. Hizashi nodded too.

"It's my time to go now".

"Farewell . . . . Father" Kohta responded sadly as he tried to maintain his composure.

"Remember Kohta, your sister is still in this world. So please watch over her".

"I promise father and . . . . Good-bye" as his father soon dissolved away. Then turning around he looked to the bunny plushy standing next to his sister. "Bun-kun".

"Yes master Kohta".

"Instruct everyone we know to keep silent of this incident and our past".

"But why master Kohta?"

"It's for the best. For I do not know the extent of the damage to mine or Kaede-chan's memory. Trying to make us remember may do more harm than good. What we remember . . . . Will determine the next course of action. It shall be dealt with in due time". Then looking to the horned girl, he turned back to the plushy. "I want you to go with Kaede-chan. There might be demons that have learned of her abilities. So please keep a watchful eye over her, do you understand?"

The plushy gave a saddened expression from everything that had recently transgressed. But before long, it gave a nod. "I understand master Kohta" as he made his way to the pink haired girl laying next to her now appearing lifeless.

Looking around once more, he gave a deep sigh. "I promise . . . . I'll come back for you". On that statement, Kohta's soul was broken as he fainted onto the floor.

Just like that, the rest was history. The first to appear on the scene was demon world police as they did what they could to cover up this incident by removing the several beat up demons there colleague fought. However, it pained them to leave him and his family like this in such a deplorable state. But the matter of the fact was that he and his family had such strong ties to the human world and the last thing they needed was for humans to ask questions and poking around where they shouldn't. So taking away any evidence of demon existence, they departed as their human counterparts soon took over.

Following protocol, Kohta's father and sister were shipped off to the M.E. for forensic evaluation as Kohta and Kaede were sent to the closest relative they had. Although they briefly saw each other then, confusion and dismay was all they could think about as they neither remembered what had happened nor understood why they were on the train in the first place as the police marked this off as traumatic suppression. For their limited understanding of the world, this case was ruled as some random serial killing.

Doing as he was instructed, Bun-kun sent messages to all it concerned namely Yuka's parents and Mikomi on keeping silent about the situation. As things continued to unfold, Kaede awoke with a new personality addressing herself as Nyu as the bracelet she wore separated her soul specifically suppressing anything that was related to her powers. As Mikomi laid eyes on her daughter, it broke her heart to learn what had happened. But for her sake, she would wait until the seal could eventually be lifted.

But for Kohta with his soul broken, he had no memories of his early life. Furthermore he had no memories of the supernatural world as he was pretty much human now. That being the case, he lived a regular human life with regular human guardians for the next few years.

* * *

~ Inner World (Kohta's mind) ~

"And that concludes my story" said young Kohta.

"It's so sad" said Tsukune. "For all that had happened . . . ."

"But it's good to know that Nyu-chan was innocent after all" said Moka trying to see some form of optimism in all this although downcast in learning their tragic past. The other girls nodded as they knew that the pair could walk away with some consolation to what they had learned.

Kohta then gave a sigh before looking to his younger self. "So you're that part of me . . . . The part of me that broke off so long ago".

"Yes" he responded getting up as the scenery changed back to the library. "Now you're finally of the right age that you can handle what I am as our souls can merge properly. But like all those years ago, I leave the option to you. So what will you decide Kohta?"

Recalling the memory he saw, it was just like that time all those years ago. What exactly would happen to him? Would he still be himself? How exactly would he change? Looking to his younger self, he still had trouble excepting everything he saw as it was just so much to take in. But if he were to accept this, all his memories would return back to him removing any shadow of a doubt he had. Giving his younger self a hesitant nod as he reached out. On that act, his child self reached back taking his hand as a bright light engulfed them pulsating for a second as soon there stood only one.

Standing there calmly, Kohta stood before them as everyone was amazed to the enormous and mysterious power they felt emanating from him.

"Incredible" said Tsukune. Even if he didn't have the ability to sense energy, even his instincts were able to detect just how massive his powers felt.

"Now I'm really curious what he could be?" said Moka as even her internal self's interest was piqued.

"Amazing, I've never felt anything as strong as this" said Kurumu as she was feeling weak in the knees.

"Wow" was all Mizore could say.

Ruby and Yukari felt faint as never before had they ever felt such intense magical power.

"Kohta-kun . . . ." said Nyu as the only thing she cared about was if her friend was still the same person she knew.

Slowly opening his eyes, he gave a gentle smile as he looked to Nyu's direction before walking to her. "I'm sorry for making you wait for so long" as he circled his arms around her giving the ditzy girl a deep hug.

"Kohta-kun" Nyu chirped as she was happy to have her friend back as she circled her arms around his neck returning the hug.

Seeing this heartwarming scene, Tsukune and his group fawned at seeing their relationship now restored as they were glad they didn't give up on them.

"Everyone" as Kohta looked to the group. "I would like to talk to Nyu alone for a while" to which he materialized a door.

Getting the gist of it, the group nodded as they exited through the door back to the real world leaving the pair alone within the library.

Looking back to his pink haired friend, "Nyu-chan, would you mind taking a walk with me for a bit?"

Startled a bit by the new honorifics, the ditzy girl immediately straightened herself out giving a wide and warm smile. "Of course Kohta-kun".

Now walking together side by side down the aisles. Kohta seemed tense as if he was having trouble with what he wanted to say to which Nyu could easily see. Walking a bit more Kohta scratched his cheek as he stopped followed by Nyu as he turned to look at her. "Nyu-chan . . . . I'm sorry about my earlier behavior. It was excusable to accuse you like that without fully understanding everything".

The ditzy girl shook her head responding with a warm smile. "It's OK Kohta-kun. I don't blame you for feeling the way you did. But" holding herself feeling chilled. "What I did . . . . I still feel guilty for hurting you like that . . . ." as her face dropped to this.

"I told you already Nyu-chan, it wasn't your fault. Onigumo took control of you. So the only one to blame is him".

Nyu gave a nod happy about his reassurance.

Giving a nod back, the pair continued to walk. However there was still one more thing Kohta wanted to say to his friend and it was important concerning what would become of her now. The seal he put on her separated her soul into two different components. One represented everything that had to do with her vector powers while the other represented her human side. Keeping this in mind, this represented Lucy and Nyu respectfully. By undoing the seal, those two parts of her would remerge forming his friend Kaede again as all the memories and experience Nyu and Lucy lived out would go to her. But in doing so, the two base personalities would disappear effectively meaning their death yet also their rebirth. This being the fact, he just wasn't sure how to tell his friend. But stopping once again, he faced his back to a shelf sliding down against it till he was sitting on the floor to which Nyu soon joined him.

Nyu looked to him confused to her friend's now unusual behavior. But upon sitting, she felt a book under her hand as she looked to it. Picking it up, she saw the title which instantly got her interest as she popped it open to see what was inside.

"_How am I supposed to tell her . . . ._" as Kohta thought hard to how he wanted to break the news to Nyu. For the ditzy girl had equal rights over the body as much as Kaede did. The fact was, "_it's all so complicated . . . ._"

"Kohta-kun".

"_What am I supposed to say . . . ._"

"Kohta-kun" as Nyu started poking his arm.

"_Uhh, this is so complicated . . . ._"

"Kohta-kun" as Nyu now started to nudge his arm.

"_What am I going to do . . . ._"

"Kohta-kun!" Nyu then shouted.

"I'm sorry Nyu-chan, I was just . . . ." but then fell silent. Looking to his friend, all he could do was gape as his mouth hung wide open to what Nyu was reading. In her hands was the very book he had tried time and time again to make sure she never saw when she came to his library. "_Oh no, she found the 'perverted thoughts of Nyu' book!_", "Uhh, Nyu-chan it's not what you think!"

"Kohta-kun . . . ." as she strained her eyes concentrating at what she was reading.

"_Oh crap, she must be really angry!_", "I'm so sorry Nyu-chan for thinking such provocative thoughts about you! I didn't mean too! I mean you're a really cute girl and I uhh . . . . I . . . ." as Kohta was now just speaking incomprehensible gibberish waving his hands hoping his friend didn't take offense from this.

"Kohta-kun . . . ." which stopped the youth's jabbering as he stood at attention to what Nyu had to say. Looking up from the book, she flipped it around showing a picture of herself dressed in an erotic bikini while giving a sexy pose to which she now seemed confused. "Here . . . ."

"Ye . . . . Yes?"

"You have my chest size wrong" as she pointed to the picture.

"Huh?"

"It's seems you made the same mistake in all these books" leaning back revealing a stack organized from volume five to volume thirteen.

"Huh!" as one of Kohta's eyes were now twitching in disbelief.

"It's probably the same in all these as well" as Nyu turned her head redirecting Kohta's attention revealing an entire shelf devoted to the same book. By the looks of it, it was now on volume thirty-seven.

Kohta was completely mind blown as Nyu's reaction was not what he was expecting. To think his friend couldn't get any more unusual, it could.

"Kohta-kun my chest is bigger than that by at least a couple inches, see" as she removed her tie beginning to unbutton her shirt.

"Ahh! Nyu-chan! Wait! Don't! I promise! I'll make the corrections as soon as I can!" grabbing her shirt keeping it shut much to his embarrassment as somewhere in the back of his mind, "_why am I making her stop?_"

After a brief argument, struggle, and resolution they both calmed back down. Then settling for a moment, Kohta felt ready to say what he wanted to say.

"Nyu-chan . . . . If I undo your seal. Do you understand what will happen?" he asked cautiously preparing himself for however his friend may react.

". . . ." as Nyu seemed dazed at the question. But slowly her lips began to curve upwards in a warm smile as she now seemed solemn. "Yes" looking to her friend. "I will disappear when my soul is completed".

Kohta was slightly alarmed at this. "But . . . ."

"Lucy-chan also understands" Nyu interjected. "But I think you're misunderstanding Kohta-kun. It's not like we're disappearing anywhere. We're both just returning back to where we belong. Back to our original self . . . . Kaede-chan. Although it's scary that we won't be ourselves anymore. It feels . . . . Right for us to do this".

"I'm so sorry Nyu-chan".

"Don't be, we'll still be together. So we're not afraid. Me and Lucy-chan are ready".

Gazing at his pink hair friend softly, he nodded as they soon returned back to the real world.

* * *

~ Youkai Academy (classroom) ~

Currently in the late afternoon bordering early evening, they all stood in the classroom as Tsukune's group stood back while Kohta stood in front of Nyu flipping her wrist around with his thumbs on the dial.

"Nyu-chan, are you ready?"

"Of course" she smiled.

Nodding back, Kohta moved the dial numbers into place realigning them in the correct configuration. Upon fixing the last dial, the bracelet began to shake wildly before shattering into pieces. With its removal, a bright aura emitted from the ditzy girl forcing everyone to shield their eyes. But after the light died down, the person everyone knew as Nyu was now a different person. Aside from her horns reappearing, her facial expression changed along with her overall presence as she felt like Nyu but also like Lucy at the same time.

Waking from her long rest opening her crimson eyes, Kaede looked up meeting with Kohta's azure gaze. Staring into each other's eyes, she gave a small smile. "Kohta . . . ."

"Kaede-chan . . . ."

"Thank you for keeping your promise to me" as she soon grabbed his tie aggressively pulling him down getting them face to face with each other.

"Kaede-chan?" as Kohta was startled to this sudden action.

"I've waited long enough for these eight years. Waiting till I was old enough to do this like an adult . . . ."

"Like an adult?" as Kohta was starting to get nervous with how close his friend's face was getting as he could feel her warm breath against his skin making him blush a bit.

Kaede smirked to this. So letting her actions do the talking for her, she smashed her lips against his stunning everyone in the room from how boldly she acted.

But to some extent, everyone at least shared one similar thought. "Wooh . . . ."

To be continued . . . .

* * *

Author's notes: So I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. In case anyone's wondering, although Yuka is Kohta's cousin, she isn't by blood related to him. Hence that why's he wasn't worried about any demons going after her or her parents or anyone else for that matter.

But now with this memory thing over, I can finally get back on with the story. Thank goodness for that.

So I thank you all for reading this fic and I further extend my gratitude if you can review it as well.


	22. From Then Onwards

Rosario to Elf

Disclaimer: I do not own Elfen Lied, Rosario + Vampire, or any characters associated with either of the series.

"talking"

_thoughts_

* * *

From Then Onwards

* * *

Tsukune's group was still watching as their mouths lay unhinged upon the bold act they were witnessing.

Moments ago, Kohta had successfully completed his memory trials and in doing so was able to reclaim his soul completing his memories and allowing full access back to his true powers. Upon returning back to the real world, he broke the seal he placed on Kaede allowing her real self to re-emerge.

However what caught everyone by surprise was what the horned girl did the moment she was free. With her release, she aggressively grabbed Kohta's tie pulling him down as she planted a fiery kiss on his lips which to say the least surprised the youth as well. Frankly no one knew how long they were kissing as everyone was still stunned from what was happening.

Slowly pulling back, Kaede's face was still deep crimson as she let go of his tie. Giving a moment to settle herself down, "what did you think?"

Kohta still felt speechless as his face was burning red in embarrassment and excitement. But getting some of his wits back on him, he gave a slight cough while straightening himself out as he adjusted his tie to recompose himself. "That was . . . . Really nice" he then said as he didn't have any better way to phrase it.

Kaede chuckled a bit giving a wide smile as she approached him once again giving him a deep hug. "Thank you Kohta for coming back to me".

"No problem Kaede-chan" returning the affectionate gesture to which the pair held each other for a short while before parting with each other. Then turning to face everyone else, "everyone this is Kaede-chan. Please treat her nicely".

"Welcome back" said Tsukune kindly.

"Nice to finely meet the real you" smiled Moka.

"Hiya! It's nice to meet you!" cheered Kurumu.

"Hello" as Mizore gave a simple wave.

"Hello Kaede-san. I hope we can be friends" said Ruby.

"Good to have you back!" smiled Yukari.

Kaede looked around the room to the warm greeting as she gave a small polite bow. "It's good to finally meet you all in person. But from my time asleep, my other knows you all rather well". Looking to the first person she saw, "Tsukune Aono, the kind yet awkward boy notoriously known to have his own harem group".

Tsukune gave a choked laugh at this. "I guess that would be me" he partly stuttered.

"Moka Akashiya, a vampire existing with two opposites in one body. An outer form of purity and kindness, but an inner form of solidarity and warrior discipline".

"That's pretty true" said Moka in a more or less fashion.

"Kurumu Kurono, the succubus and seeker of love. Although you may not be the sharpest, you live true to your title as you truly do love the people around you as you take care of them with true earnestness of your own heart and soul".

"Stop it, you're making me blush" as Kurumu gave a girly giggle while scratching her cheek due to the compliment.

"Mizore Shirayuki, a yuki onna with ninja like skills of discretion and observation. Although you don't say much and you don't let anyone know much about you, I know that under your icy exterior is a spirit of clarity and adamants like a pure ice crystal from the winter snow. Regardless of how you behave, I know you deeply care for everyone. Even your love rivals".

Mizore gave a bit of a blush as she averted her eyes while rubbing the back of her head.

"Ruby, a witch is well . . . . You're Ruby".

"_Ehh, she doesn't know anything about me!_", "nice to meet you" said Ruby giving a bit of a strained smile.

"_She's a super masochist with fetishes of a level of kinky . . . ._" as Kaede blushed a bit trying her best to hide it. "_It's . . . . It's a bit too much to say as I'll leave it at that_" to which Kohta tried to maintain his calm facial expression while picking up the telepathic message trying not to react to what he was hearing. "And Yukari . . . ." said Kaede as she looked to the child giving a somewhat solemn appearance.

"Kaede-san?" said the child witch quizzically. "What's wrong? Why are you looking at me so strangely?" as she felt like the horned girl was seeing right through her. But suddenly she knelt down fully embracing her which surprised her quite a bit. "Kaede-san?"

"I was finally able to meet you again. I'm so sorry . . . . For what happened. But I'm happy that I was given this chance meet you again".

"Huh? I don't understand. What are you talking about?" as Yukari felt flustered from the horned girls strange behavior.

"You felt it too didn't you Kaede-chan" said Kohta as he knelt down as well patting the child witch on the head. "It's her. She's the one" to which Kaede gave a nod too.

"Kohta-san? What are you talking about?"

"You will understand soon enough" as many spell insignias in the form of several rings appeared around his hand as he rubbed her head.

Upon that act, Yukari's eyes widened a bit before glazing over as she fell silent which alarmed her friends for a moment of what was happening to her. But before long, life returned back to her eyes as she blinked while seeming a bit disoriented. But looking to Kaede and Kohta, ". . . . Kaede-neesan . . . . Oniisan".

"Yukari?" Tsukune asked now confused to what just happened.

"It's good to see you again . . . . Kanae" smiled Kohta.

Pushing back away from her, Kaede looked directly into her eyes. "Kanae . . . . Can you ever forgive me?"

"I forgave you a long time ago" Yukari smiled. "I knew deep down that it wasn't you who did those terrible things. Watching oniisan's memories, it only reinforced what I already knew".

Being slightly taken back from this, Kaede bit her lip slightly as tears began to fill her eyes as she soon hugged the child witch once again. "Thank you . . . ."

"Wait!" Kurumu then exclaimed. "This is all getting way too confusing! What's going on here?"

Kohta then stood up as he looked to Tsukune's group. "I apologize to the suddenness of this all. Kaede-chan and I were just so happy to meet Kanae again".

"You're not making any sense" then said Kurumu. "That's Yukari Sendo. She isn't your little sister".

"Not quite" Ruby then interjected.

"Do you know something about this?" Tsukune asked.

The witch gave a nod to this. "Remember what was said? Kanae chose the path of reincarnation".

"I don't quite understand" said Tsukune. "Is it something like rebirth?"

"Sort of" Moka answered. "But" as she thought about it, "it's a bit more complicated than that".

"Then how can it be possible that Yukari is also Kohta-san sister?"

"Because her soul is inside me" Yukari answered warmly holding her hands over her heart to which everyone then looked to her to continue. "Souls have two options as they can either enter the afterlife or continue living through reincarnation. There are many paths in the sense of reincarnation. But in my case, Kanae was a godsend to me".

"But how? What happened exactly?"

"Along time ago, I got into an accident which almost killed me. As I was dying, I was bordering on the brinks. But as death was ready to take me, that's when Kanae appeared. She was like an angel of light that kept pushing me to stay alive as she used the energy of her soul to sustain me giving the doctors the time they needed to heal me". Then giving a small smile, "she then told me her story that she still wanted to live and how she needed to get back to her brother and his friend as she wanted to reincarnate through me in order to see them again. In thanks to her I allowed her soul from that point on to rest in my heart". Then looking to Kohta, she smiled to him. "It was not until oniisan casted his spell that allowed me to remember that I was Kanae at one point in my life".

It took a bit of time for Tsukune and his friends to absorb this knowledge, but in a way it explained quite a bit such as her uncanny level of intelligence and maturity. "But then" started Tsukune, "are you still Yukari or are you Kanae?"

"I am neither yet both" smiled Yukari. "But I'm still able to be 'me' and that's all that really matters as I'm still Yukari yet I'm also Kanae".

"I guess calling you Yukari from now on is fine" said Kohta patting her head.

"I'm grateful for being given this chance to straighten things out with you" smiled Kaede as she hugged the child witch once more.

Although extremely vague about her explanation, they understood that Kanae lived on through Yukari. For the second time that day, the group fawned at the endearing moment as it warmed their hearts in seeing how it all nicely worked out for them.

This would have lasted for longer if not for a rather curious succubus wanting to know a question that's been poking at her for a while. "I still don't quite get it though. What kind of monster are you Kohta? I'm just dying to know".

"Kurumu-chan" said Tsukune wanting to correct her for interrupting the moment.

"What?" as Kurumu looked to them all. "I know we're all thinking it. It's obvious he's no ordinary magic user. So Kohta" looking to him, "will you tell us what you are exactly?"

"I'm afraid not Kurumu-san" said Kohta. "What I am . . . . Is a secret as there are still some in this world who will do anything find my kind. So it's best you don't know what I am for your safety".

"Saying it like that only makes us what to know more!" Kurumu stomped a bit. "Yukari, do you know what he is?"

Yukari shook her head to this. "No, I don't know what oniisan secret is".

"And I'm pretty sure Kohta-san is not going to tell us anytime soon" said Ruby.

"Afraid not" smiled Kohta to which everyone gave a sigh too. "But everyone . . . . Thank you for your help. Without your assistance I wouldn't have been able to find myself again nor meet Kaede-chan and Kanae in the process. So thank you for caring and pushing us to find the truth".

"It's no problem. We we're glad to help" said Tsukune to which everyone gave a smile too.

"Well it's getting quite late now. It's time we call it a day" said Kohta as everyone agreed as they began to file out of the room giving their proper departing pleasantries before leaving. "Yukari . . . ."

"Yes oniisan?" said the child witch before exiting the door.

"I know this is all a bit complicated to say, but . . . . You don't need to burden yourself anymore. You can leave this world in peace now".

Yukari shook her head to this to which a ghost like apparition emerged from her back as it began to materialize as Kanae but older looking if she were still alive today. "It's alright oniisan" said Kanae. "I've already found my peace. But for now I want to continue on existing as Yukari-san's guardian spirit".

"If that is what you wish" Kohta smiled.

"Yes" as Kanae smiled back before disappearing back into her host. "Good-bye" as she then left leaving Kohta and Kaede alone in the room.

Before long although a bit hesitant, Kaede reached up taking her friend's hand which caught his attention. "Kohta . . . ."

"I know, you weren't able to deny yourself of the curiosity and you took a peek around in my mind to figure out exactly what I am".

". . . . You could've stopped me if you wanted".

"Yes" looking to her. "But I know it wouldn't have stopped you in trying to find out".

"That you are . . . ." but then was stopped as Kohta placed his finger over her lips to stop her from saying it. Then smiling against his finger, she reached up removing his hand as she began to speak to him telepathically. "_You're a special class of monster known as an avatar. Of course everyone knows avatars exist as they were vessels for the souls of powerful past magi or monsters who were powerful enough to cause this phenomenon to occur. But you . . . . The soul you carry like a few others . . . . It's almost as old as the Earth itself. For the greatest part of your secret is that it has been hidden in plain sight for all these centuries without it ever truly being realized_".

"_So do you know what I am?_" Kohta asked.

Kaede gave nod to this. "_You have gone by many names through the centuries. But your real name . . . . The very first name you were ever called . . . . So much time since then you were ever called that_".

"_Go on, say it_".

"_A long time ago you were once part of the great trinity of Japan keeping a watchful eye from the moon and protected the world of the night. A long time ago, you were known as Tsukiyomi the god of darkness_".

Kohta gave small smile to this. "Are you OK with that?"

"Yes" Kaede nodded. "It doesn't change anything for me. You're still the same person I knew seven years ago and nothing will ever change that and besides" averting her eyes, "it might be kind of cool that I could be dating a god" she said softly underneath her breath.

"What was that?" Kohta asked as he didn't quite catch what she said last.

"Nothing!" she blushed as she faced away from him. Although she kissed him, it was more of an impulsive act. For it was a kind of thing of the moment to which hopefully he wouldn't bring up.

However, "about that kiss Kaede-chan" as Kohta scratched his cheek seeming a bit flushed. "Well I . . . ."

"I'll be seeing you later!" as Kaede blitzed out the door.

"Hey! Wait! Kaede-chan!" Kohta called chasing after her. Thus the conclusion of this part of their journey as the next one was ready to begin.

To be continued . . . .

* * *

Author's notes: Hopefully this chapter was OK with the whole big reveal. Hope it wasn't disappointing to anyone.

So I thank you all for reading this fic and I further extend my gratitude if you can review it as well.


	23. Formulations

Rosario to Elf

Disclaimer: I do not own Elfen Lied, Rosario + Vampire, or any characters associated with either of the series.

"talking"

_thoughts_

* * *

Formulations

* * *

~ Youkai Academy ~ (evening, one week later)

"Yes, yes I know" Kaede smiled as she was holding the phone against her ear. "Yes, I can't wait to see too mother. Good-bye and I'll see you when school goes to break" as she placed the phone back hanging it up.

"How was she doing?" Kohta asked.

"Just fine, mother was happy to hear from me again and she wanted to know if you could come over to visit so she could thank you herself".

The youth gave a slight chuckle at this. "If you don't mind having me over" he smiled.

"Of course not, you're always welcomed whenever you want to visit".

"Thanks". Kohta then stretched out his hand as he brushed through Kaede's hair as the strands slipped through his fingers. "I still can't quite get over the new look".

"Really?" as she brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. "Long hair just didn't seem like me. I don't look weird do I?"

Kohta gave a warm smile as he looked his friend over. There wasn't anything too significantly different about her, physically speaking anyways. His horned friend had decided to cut her hair short leaving it just above shoulder length. Her facial expression was a cross between Nyu and Lucy as she showed a presence between cutesy yet highly disciplined. With school regulations, everyone needed to maintain a human form. So he rebuilt her bracelet for the function of hiding her horns making her appear like any other girl. But then giving a nod, "it doesn't really matter because Kaede-chan will always be beautiful regardless of what she looks like".

The pink diclonius could only blush at this as she looked away, "idiot" to which the youth couldn't help but chuckle at this. Then clasping her hands together, she felt slightly irritated. She was never certain if Kohta was just being friendly with her or was actually flirting. Frankly she didn't even know for sure if he understood how she felt for him. But if he didn't, she sure as hell wasn't going to try to make herself clearer as it was too embarrassing and nerve wracking the first time. Perhaps when she worked up the courage, she could try again. " _. . . . Yeah right_".

"Well let's get going" said Kohta. "We have to get ready for tomorrow".

"Hmm? What was happening tomorrow?"

"We'll be discussing the upcoming festival and what our class plans to do for it".

* * *

~ Youkai Academy ~ (the next day)

Walking along the main road with each other, Kohta and Kaede talked happily with each other as they were politely given their morning pleasantries by fellow student passerbies.

"Good morning Kaede-san".

"Morning Kaede, I hope everything has been going well".

"Good morning Kaede, can't wait to see you in class".

The pink diclonius gave a warm smile as she waved to them.

"Well looks like no one so far has called you Nyu Kaede-chan" said Kohta.

"It took about a week, but now everyone is calling me by my real name. Although it was a bit awkward with explaining everything concerning myself" giving a strained chuckle.

"But you did have to lie in certain parts".

"Of course I had too. They wouldn't completely understand everything not to mention neither of us really needed the whole pity party. Besides, it was in large part in keeping your secret" poking Kohta's shoulder giving a smirk causing the youth to give a nervous laugh. "But I still don't quite understand. So you're the current vessel of Tsukiyomi, what does that mean exactly? How did this all happen?"

"That's a bit of a complicated story Kaede-chan. But simply, my family was one of many descendants of the dark god Tsukiyomi. But with me being the last of his bloodline, I inherited his soul by default as it chooses the youngest member of the clan at the time of the death of the former".

"So . . . . Are there like more of you out there?"

"Yes, there are still quite a few of us in world actually. But people sure do have funny ideas about us".

Kaede's brow arched at this, but then shook her head. "So are you still . . . . You?"

"A complicated answer, but yes as I'm still myself. I was born with individuality as Tsukiyomi's soul lay dormant within me. But after merging with him, I gained a part of his powers and memories that he had collected over the millennia which even a bit of it is quite a lot".

"But with what Onigumo said . . . . . Could you still die?"

"Yes, for everything that I am I'm still quite vulnerable to death as any other person is. But as I said, people sure do have funny ideas about us. Simply there is no such thing as immortality as the word 'god' was the closest translation possible to our species name. It just a fact our kind is very hard to kill due to our highly developed regenerative abilities and advanced magical knowledge . . . . Well not unless you decapitate, drown, or otherwise drain our magic which will kill us almost immediately. However after me, that'll be it".

"What do you mean?"

"I'm the last descendant of Tsukiyomi. Once I'm gone, his knowledge and powers will be lost forever. Well not unless I . . . ." looking up in thought.

"Unless you?"

"Have a kid" as Kohta smiled to Kaede causing her to burn red, but noticing his friend's reaction "Kaede-chan? Is something wrong? You're all red. You're not sick are you?"

"Oh just shut up!" to which a still blushing Kaede pushed his face away while facing her gaze forward again.

Kohta chuckled at this. "Well let's hurry then. We don't want to be late" taking her hand as they hurried along.

* * *

~ Youkai Academy (class) ~

"As everyone knows" said Koto. "We're going to be having our annual cultural festival soon. On that note, we need to not only choose the activity our class is going to do but also choose our representatives to organize the event as this is going to count as big points to your final grade".

At hearing this, the class could only groan in agony. Although festivals were fun, the setup and planning were quite painfully aggravating with all the time and effort needed to get things together. Furthermore, whoever was representative had to take full responsibility for the organization not to mention if anything went wrong.

"Now now, don't be like that" the fox teacher then said waving her hand to them. "Now who should be our representative?" as she rose her finger ready to pick someone. However everyone in class purposely averted their eyes looking away from the front as they didn't want to be chosen trying to make it as clear as possible that they didn't want the job. "_This is quite troubling_" thought Koto as seeing the lack of participation. But then recalling the only members to her photography club, "you two. Kohta and Kaede will be our class representative".

"Us?" Kohta questioned.

"I really don't want the job" said Kaede rather bluntly.

"Oh don't be silly. You two will do a wonderful job" Koto then rebutted.

"But . . . ."

"Yeah you'll do great!" as the class had now turned their attention to them.

"They are the most talented and brightest in our class after all".

"We can definitely leave it in their capable hands!" as more of the class nodded to this.

"Alright! It's decided then. Kohta and Kaede will be our class representatives for the school festival" said Koto as everyone in the class aside from the two gave a cheer to this.

"Traitors . . . ." as Kaede slammed her head against the table in pure angst to the trouble that was dropped onto her lap. "_I wonder what Kohta thinks about this_" turning her head to see.

Looking to the youth, he seemed indifferent yet cheerful as if he didn't seem to mind this all.

". . . ."

* * *

~ Youkai Academy (rooftops) ~ (lunchtime)

"You want to tell me why you're OK with this?" Kaede asked almost glaring at her friend

"What are you talking about?" Kohta asked nonchalantly as he leaned against the railing. "It's just a cultural festival. It should be fun".

"Not as the representative. It just means more pain in the rear for us".

"What makes you think that Kaede-chan?"

"You know what I mean!" stomping her foot against the ground in irritation. "It's so much trouble! How can you be still fine with this? Aside from needing to plan everything, if anything goes wrong it's going to be our problem!"

"It can't be that bad. Besides" as Kohta gave a bright smile. "We'll be doing this project together which I'm happy for".

Kaede stammered back slightly as her brow furrowed looking away trying to keep herself from blushing. "Idiot . . . ."

Kohta gave a chuckle at this. But then pushing off the rail, he walked till he got face to face with his friend. "How about we have a little wager then?"

". . . . What kind of wager?" the pink diclonius asked cautiously.

"A rather simple one really" said Kohta cheerfully. "If I win you have to help with the planning for the rest of the festival without complaint. But if you win, I'll talk with Koto-sensei to having the job all left to me leaving you free from this".

"Sounds tempting" as Kaede tapped her cheek with intrigue. "So what's the wager exactly?"

"Also something rather simple" said Kohta as he stepped back getting into his fighting stance, "just a match between us. No powers involved as we'll be using our skills only".

Kaede gave a devilish smirk at this as she cracked her knuckles before stepping back into her own stance. "Hope you'll enjoy in giving me my seventeenth win".

"We'll see" as he waved his hand taunting her to come at him.

On that go, Kaede dashed in throwing a right punch only for it to be parried as she followed that momentum throwing a wheel kick.

With the oncoming kick, Kohta back stepped narrowly just avoiding the attack to his head as he full stepped in getting right behind her grabbing her around the waist planning to toss her. However he was immediately countered as a back elbow was launched straight into his face to which he blocked as he followed the flow of the attack spinning around getting face to face with Kaede as he grabbed her shoulder pulling her in for a knee thrust.

Seeing it coming, Kaede shifted her weight to the side at the very least only getting grazed by the attack as she quickly grabbed his leg throwing it up trying to unbalance him. But in an impressive feat, Kohta managed to kick his other leg up throwing him into a back flip as he landed back onto the ground safely. As he looked up, Kaede had already jumped into the air after him as she flew forward throwing a left punch to his face.

Kohta shifted his face away just in time as he intercepted her punch with his left hand. Giving a good twist, he turned her around forcing her arm behind her back as he swung his right arm around her neck into a choke hold.

"I see you remembered how to fight Kohta. You're doing better than I expected".

"I'd say I'm doing OK so far" he half smiled.

Kaede smirked to this as she stomped his foot forcing him to loosen his grip as she wrapped her hands around his right arm before tossing him over her shoulder landing him flat on his back. She then immediately followed up by grabbing his shoulders as she flipped over him landing on his stomach as she sat down mounting him crossing her arms over his throat as she got face to face with him. "It looks like my win". But seeing Kohta holding a smile, "you seem a bit too happy for someone who just lost".

"Do I?" as the youth seemed coy.

"Yes you do" as she tightened her hold trying to make her friend feel more uncomfortable.

"Well two reasons really".

"Which are?"

"First" giving a grin, "I got plenty of opportunities to see Kaede-chan's panties".

"Ehh!" as her face flashed many orders of red as she got her face away from him.

"And secondly" grabbing one of her arms bumping his hips up flipping them over reversing their positions. "I haven't lost yet" as he grabbed both her wrists one in each hand pinning them to the ground while keeping his body weight on top of her.

Kaede struggled to get up. But after a while stopped as she laid still looking up to her friend with a deep pout. "That was just plain dirty".

"Well that is just how it is Kaede-chan" he chuckled.

"Kohta . . . . Have you always been such a pervert? I never thought you were so interested in looking at my panties".

"Well any guy would. You are a very attractive girl Kaede-chan. About every guy would jump at the chance to get with you".

Kaede's eyes then shifted to the corner as her lips quivered a bit. "Would you?" she asked softly under her breath.

"What?" as he didn't hear her.

"I said get off me stupid!" as she threw him off before standing up patting herself down straightening her uniform.

Doing the same, Kohta soon straightened himself out. "So? What says you?"

Kaede looking away rubbed the back of her head. "Yeah I suppose so . . . . As long as I'm doing the work with you . . . ."

"Good, but we still need to decide what our class is doing. Tsukune-san's class has already decided to do a fishing game and Yukari's class has decided on a maid's café. They are both pretty popular themes. So I wonder what we should do in order to maintain a good popular standing with our grade year". Placing his hand to his chin in thought, "I think I've got it! Let's create a horror maze. That should be fun".

"A horror maze, really?" as Kaede's tone was that of mocking. "Don't you think we're a bit too old for something like this let alone capable of scaring anyone?"

"Come on Kaede-chan, it might be fun. So let's give it a try".

The pink diclonius could only look to her friend strangely before letting out a soft sigh. "Whatever . . . . But you're going to have to convince everyone else to go along with it. Besides, it's going to be a lot of work to set up something as big as that".

"I don't think it'll be a problem" as he swayed his hand waving his fingers to which a strange shadowy sparkle appeared. "And don't worry about the work. I've got it covered".

* * *

~ Youkai Academy ~ (few days later)

Just like that everything was on the move. With the coming festival all academic activity was suspended for the week to allow each class their preparation time to plan for their event.

Looking all around, everyone was hard at work with construction and decorations to get their event up and running.

But for one class in particular, most of them were working outside at their front door creating signs and posters for their event.

"What's going on here?" asked Yukari who was just passing through as well as somewhat curious why their entire class was working outside.

"Hizashi-san told us he'd be taking care of the event setup by building it himself".

"Yep, the rest of us were instructed to work promoting our event and to make it as flashy as possible".

"I wonder what one guy can possibly do alone . . . ."

Yukari looked to the door with a sign saying 'do not enter' and 'construction zone, extreme caution'. Then spotting a pink haired girl working on a sign, she walked up to her. "What's going on? Do you know what oniisan is doing?"

Kaede looked up to her standing up as she stretched her back. "I don't know what Kohta is doing. He asked Koto-sensei to leave the classroom to him as he's been locked in their ever since everyday. Seeing how things are I figured we might as well be productive and make the necessary banners and posters for our event".

"Well if it's a project by oniisan then it's bound to be great!"

"I think you're giving him far too much credit Yukari" waving her hand at this.

"We'll see" she smiled to which Kaede also returned. But then began looking around. "Is there something wrong?"

"Yeah actually, a few people from my class went out to get some extra supplies. But they haven't gotten back yet". But then she raised her fist in fury as an evil like expression began to appear. "They better not be slacking off somewhere".

Yukari placed her hand to her lip in thought before looking back to her. "I think someone should go check up on them. Something bad could have happened".

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

"I'm talking about that Anti-thesis group. Remember? The one that attacked Tsukune, Kurumu, and Mizore not too long ago".

"That's right. Kurumu told me about the incident involving that badger mole guy. But it seems unlikely for those delinquents to be starting trouble now. Especially with how much security was added to the recent threat made by them about attacking the school festival".

"I don't know" with a hint of worry, "it just doesn't feel right . . . ."

Kaede gave a deep sigh to this as she held her face smearing it as her hand slipped back to her side. "Alright alright" giving a scoff of surrender as she looked to Yukari with a slight smile. "For you I'll go check on them".

"Thank you Kaede-neesan!" she beamed.

* * *

~ Youkai Academy ~

Giving her instructions to her peers, Kaede was soon off as she casually strolled around the school looking for her missing classmates.

Taking her walk she was amazed and excited at the progress everyone was making as there were just so many events she wanted to go too once they were finished.

Passing by a few, she saw as Moka was leading her class in the final construction of their fishing game to which they would be done shortly. Although she heard Tsukune was one the classes representatives, he seemed to have been absent for the most part attending school council business in relation to school security. Watching the pink vampire, it was easy to tell she was lonely without him around. However she knew Moka understood to which she would wait patiently till he returned.

Not too far from them, Yukari's class was closing to a finish with their maid café event. Kaede could only give a slightly amused smile at seeing Kurumu being a part of the class was an obvious choice as one of the maid's as she seemed to have been dancing around the entrance earning a lot of stares and blushing faces to her overly alluring sex appeal as she was at this moment trying out her uniform.

Finally completing her tour of all the active areas around the school, "Where the hecks are they?" as the horned girl was now pretty peeved at the absent presence of her classmates. Granted, it wasn't uncommon for students to ditch around this time as every class had its stragglers. However her class needed those supplies, and since they didn't come back that meant less productivity as she then needed to send others to get what was needed. Seeing how three students from her class hadn't come back, she would need to be the one who needed to do it to prevent anymore slacking off. Once reaching the supply room area, " _. . . . Something doesn't feel right_". Bun-kun had taught her well in how to sense demonic power. But more so, her mother taught just as well in how to sense negative intention. "_I feel about four of them . . . . They are close . . . . Here they come_".

Out from their hiding spots, they emerged. It was pretty clear they were anti-thesis as their real bodies did not reflect any solid demon form. However that didn't really matter one way or another as they were far out of their league for someone of Kaede's level.

Almost immediately two of them that charged the pink diclonius from behind were grabbed by an invisible force as they were lifted to the very height of the two story hall before being slammed back down into the floor. With this stunning act, the two adversaries hesitated for a slight moment which gave Kaede more than enough time to which with a wave of her hand one of them flew back as they then became impaled into the wall falling unconscious. Seeing all his comrades go down instantly, the delinquent turned to retreat.

However wrapping her vectors around her legs, she kicked off the ground as she was instantly in front of him grabbing his shirt lifting him up a good six inches as his legs dangled below him. "You can save the idle chatter" said Kaede darkly squeezing her fist making it quite apparent both visually and conceptually that if she didn't get she wanted pain was going to be dealt. "I got the gist of what's happened here. Your group is probably some reconnaissance raiding party trying to find some way to effectively cripple the school festival. It's pretty clear that you have taken students who have come through here due to the lack of security around these parts. But what I want to know now" gripping his shirt tighter as she moved her way to a wall before slamming him into it. "Where are they?"

"Like I'd tell a bitch like you" the delinquent spat out seeming rather smug about it.

Kaede's eyes then narrowed at this. "We'll see about that".

* * *

~ Youkai academy (forest) ~

After a bit of 'persuasion', it appeared that if their raid and recon went sour they'd have hostages to cover their escape. "Pathetic cowards" was all Kaede could say about them. Granted she understood where they were coming from as they were the outcasts of demon society as others would treat them with scorn and disgust due to their heritage. So in a way it was inevitable this would be how they turned out. However she could not condone such an unsightly act as these tactics were not only shameful but dishonorable as well.

Entering the forest, she followed the directions cautiously keeping her senses aware for any possible dangers till eventually she came about a clearing and saw three of the delinquents along with quite a handful of the academy students tied and bounded on the ground. Watching the captors, it was apparent to see who the leader was amongst them.

"What do you think we should do with them Gyutto? We haven't received word from our away team of what's been happening?"

"We'll give them a few more minutes, if they don't show up then too bad. We'll use these students as cover to make our getaway".

"But what happens if someone really strong comes? Like that vampire that beat Midou-san?" to which in response his neck was grabbed as tremendous pressure began to be applied as murderous intent poured onto him in waves.

"Are you calling me weak that I can't handle some little vampire?"

"N . . . . No . . . ." the cohort stuttered in fear.

"Do not mistaken the fact that I'm weaker than Midou. That fool lost because he was careless in believing that no one could rival his physical power. If such a person did come along be certain I will crush them with absolute certainty if you have not forgotten my unbeatable ability".

"Really?" as the delinquents reacting to the voice turned to see a pink haired girl coming out from the brush. "Then do you care to give me a try against this unbeatable ability?"

Without so much as a word, the two cohort delinquents rushed out to attack only to be easily subdued as if an invisible fist punched both of them in the face as Kaede walked quickly past them confronting the leader while cracking her knuckles.

"Do you know who I am?" said Gyutto with over-confidence. "I'm . . . .", but was cut short as the pink diclonius delivered one of the her vector enhanced punches to his face sending him crashing through several trees before being impaled in a stump not too far away.

"I don't really care much for long winded speeches" said Kaede. "I find that to be a rather irritating quality in punks when they want to talk about how great they are or how they plan to crush me" as she then shook her head too before letting out a soft sigh.

"Kaede-san!"

"Hikaru-san came to save us!"

"Thank you for saving us!"

"You can thank me later when I'm done rescuing you and lecturing you all about being more careful".

"Maybe a lecture you missed out on".

Kaede's eyes widened at this. "_Behind me!_" as she stepped forward narrowly dodging the delinquent's attack just grazing her uniform jacket as she turned around quickly to see her opponent take on a completely different form from earlier. Now in his monster form, the delinquent outcast's skin appeared to have turned scaly green appearing almost like a lizard hide as his eyes then became slits. But he didn't look that impressive or the least bit intimidating. However her senses told her otherwise as each scale on his skin seemed to have been condensing an impressive amount of demonic power. For what purpose, she didn't know. But it was something she was going to find out soon as she went in for her attack.

Wrapping her fist in her vector, she wanted to end this quickly as she saw no point in a drawn out fight. So going for a kill shot, her punch landed right on his chin shooting diagonally as she pivoted her hip and foot on the ground in order to achieve the best torque from her attack. Just as expected, her opponent went flying. However, "_that didn't feel right. Why was there so much resistance?_"

Soon enough Gyutto stood up wearing a rather arrogant smile as he raised his arm flipping his finger back and forth taunting her to try again.

Kaede gave a slight glare at this as she dashed in once again, but this time choosing a three hit combo with a right kick to his solar plexus, left punch to his crown, and right jab to his throat. But once again the same result as she felt like she was punching steel as the outcast continued to hold his arrogant smirk.

"Do you understand now?" Gyutto sneered. "It doesn't matter how strong you are. When I'm like this my skin becomes like armor. There is nothing you can do to hurt me. Yet I'm certain the same doesn't apply to you" to which he dashed forward with a straight punch.

However Kaede easily saw this becoming. But, "_what speed . . . ._" and at dodging and seeing him pierce a hole right through the tree. "_Interesting . . . ._"

Gyutto sneered as he retracted his arm. "Not only does my ability protect me from all damage. But it increases my speed and strength as my skin is like a bunch of little knives capable of cutting about anything it touches. So what do you think now huh? Let's see you look down on us outcasts!"

"As I said earlier" as Kaede unwrapped her vectors as the psychic arms hung around waiting for their next command, "I really hate long winded explanations". Raising her arm, the vectors shot out as they soon wrapped themselves on her opponent.

The outcast was surprised as he found himself immobilized. Yet he still held his high confidence that nothing could penetrate his armor. But soon he found his entire body under an intense pressure as if he was being squeezed by a trash compactor. "Wha . . . . What are you doing?" he barely managed to cough out.

"_I guess in a way I should thank him_" Kaede thought in a sense of irony. "_But I would have figured it out eventually_". Essentially her opponent was channeling his demonic energy into his scales forming a kind of cushion which absorbed kinetic force as it would then disperse harmlessly to the surrounding scales making the attack ineffective. But if this was the case, she had two options to either pull him or squeeze him in order to damage him. Seeing that she only wanted to hurt him and not maim him, squeezing it was as she could now hear the cracks occurring all over his skin as her vectors pushed tremendous pressure all around his body crushing him like a tin can.

Coughing out blood as his ability was being used against him. His energy ricocheted inside him causing severe internal damage as his own skin was stabbing him now. Straining his eyes just to keep them opened, "who . . . . Who the hell are?"

"Me?" as Kaede gave a bit of a smirk. "I'm just the festival representative of class 2C". With her opponents defenses completely busted, she motioned her hand towards her as her vectors pulled him in to which she wrapped her right fist in her vectors once again. Once close enough, she nailed the outcast right in the face busting his nose in as he then fell unconscious on the ground. "Well let's get this clean up over with".

* * *

~ Youkai Academy ~ (late afternoon)

Contacting the proper authorities, the delinquents were soon rounded up into detainment while the students who were injured were sent to the on-campus hospital while the uninjured returned back to their respective classes to report in.

Walking back to her own class, Kaede could only give a soft sigh as she rubbed the back of her head. "_Told him being a representative was only going to be trouble_". But seeing some of the students thank her as they ran past her, "_but I guess it's worth it in a way_" as she waved to them.

Finally arriving back at her class, most of the students had already left for the day as all the signs and posters were ready for when the time came their event was ready to go. Just wondering how her friend was doing, the door then popped open almost right on cue.

"Hey Kaede-chan! I hope nothing too troubling happened while I was busy" as Kohta smiled to his horned friend.

"Not really. Just finished the signs, needed to find some lost students, and clean up some trash. Nothing I really couldn't handle".

"Cool, well Kaede-chan do you want to see what I've come up with thus far?"

"Why not, I'm pretty sure it's going to be lame anyways". Approaching the door, the tanned youth slid it open. Looking inside Kaede's eyes widened like saucers as her mouth hung open at the extremity of what she saw. Frankly it was no longer their classroom as the inside space seemed to have been multiplied by the factor of a hundred as it was filled with walls, doors, and stairs stretching all over the place in completely impossible architecture. Furthermore, everything inside had the look of outer space as everything was dark with the stars being the only thing that gave light to the room. "What did you do here?" she blurted out.

"Just a few little tricks here and there. I used space manipulation magic to increase the volume of the room. The rest in just a little illusionary work and portal bridging to connect the maze as you see it. Theoretically you could get lost in here forever. But I still need to put in some scary stuff to complete this. So what do you think so far Kaede-chan? Isn't it cool?"

Collecting herself, the pink diclonius could only give a strained chuckle as she couldn't understand how her friend could turn such a simple idea into something so strikingly outlandish. However, "I think this is going to be a rather interesting festival".

To be continued . . . .

* * *

Author's notes: Hopefully this chapter was entertaining as I was experimenting with a new concept to my writing. So hopefully it went well.

So I thank you all for reading this fic and I further extend my gratitude if you can review it as well.


	24. Festival

Rosario to Elf

Disclaimer: I do not own Elfen Lied, Rosario + Vampire, or any characters associated with either of the series.

"talking"

_thoughts_

* * *

Festival

* * *

"Please come this way!" announced Kohta. "We have a fun horror maze for all!"

"Please give it a try!" continued Kaede as she was dressed in a sexy Halloween outfit reflecting her classes event. "It's only a hundred yen! If you make it to the finish line you will win the prize jackpot! And I promise it'll be well worth it" giving a suggestive wink to this.

Like moths to the flame boys flocked to enter as most their age were weak to the charms of a cute girl as every year this was the basic tactic of most festival events to attract customers.

"Kaede-san, we can take over now" said one of her female classmates dressed in similar attire to her.

"We got your shift covered. So go have some fun" then said another male student who was going to take over Kohta's shift.

The youth gave a nod to this. "Alright, but remember that the time limit is one hour. Once it's up use this charm" handing him a wooden plaque, "to pull them back out. We really don't want to lose customers now do we?"

"Of course Kohta-san".

Switching out, Kaede got back into her regular school uniform as she soon joined her friend. "I can't believe you made me wear such a scandalous thing" as she gave a sour look.

"Well people enjoyed it enough" Kohta smiled. "And it seems to be bringing in the customers nicely" watching as the line continued to grow.

Kaede gave a sigh to this as she folded her hands behind her. "So where are we going to?"

"Well I promised Yukari I'd visit her and she said she'd reserve a table just for us. Sounds fun right? Want to go Kaede-chan?"

Kaede smiled serenely to this giving a nod as they were soon on their way. Arriving to the class they were immediately invited in as a table was reserved for them ahead of time. Taking their seats, they were soon joined by two others.

"Oniisan! Kaede-neesan! I'm glad you both were able to come!" exclaimed Yukari happily as she placed down four drinks.

"Yoo hoo" smiled Kurumu being her excessively cheerful self. "So what do you think of my outfit Kohta? Think its good enough to seduce Tsukune?" as she pressed her chest against the said boys arm which earned her an instant glare from both the child witch and pink diclonius.

Kohta gave a strained chuckle to this before correcting his seating as the blue succubus returned back. Looking her over, she was wearing a rather revealing maid's outfit as well as his sister. But looking to the very finest detail of her skin, it was rather apparent that she had recently recovered from some serious injuries.

Approximately a few days ago, Hokuto the student council president who was also the leader of anti-thesis tried to bring down the barrier that protected the school for the sole purpose of bringing about mutual destruction between both humans and monsters alike. It was a tough battle as many were injured. However thanks in part to the combined efforts of Tsukune and his friends, they were able to defeat him and restore the barrier before it was too late.

Of course he and Kaede were busy with other matters during that time mostly with escorting the injured to the hospital as many were in serious condition namely anyone who Hokuto attacked which included his student council staff and Mikogami himself. But by the time they were done transporting everyone, Tsukune and Moka had already prevailed. Although Kaede wondered why he didn't do more, he was quick to explain that there was simply too much to do. However . . . . That wasn't the entire truth as that was a matter for another time.

"By the way, I've heard from Tsukune-san. It seems he landed himself in quite a pickle when all of you decided to introduce your parents to him out of the blue like that".

"Yeah, that was kind of my bad" as Kurumu gave a nervous laugh while rubbing the back of her head.

"You should be!" Yukari then spat. "She told her mom that Tsukune-san was her fiancé. Even Mizore-san said that he was her boyfriend!"

Kohta and Kaede could only laugh to this. They knew Tsukune wasn't in any kind of relationship beyond friendship with his little harem. But they also knew he was far too kind and naïve as he would have followed along with whatever they said so that they wouldn't lose face.

"Whatever" then continued Kurumu, "well I'm going to go find Tsukune and ask him what he thinks of my outfit!" as she soon got up to leave.

"Not unless I find him first!" Yukari exclaimed as she got up as well before magically changing back to her standard attire. "Sorry, but I have to go".

"It's fine" as Kohta gave a chuckle. "Go find your friends".

"Bye then!" as the young witch soon ran out the door.

"Shall we get going too?" asked Kaede.

"Sure" as the pair soon got up to leave as well.

Walking together, a certain thought then crossed her mind. "Hey Kohta, Yuka a witch isn't she? Why didn't she come to youkai academy as well?"

"Have you seen this school?" as the youth shivered slightly at the memory. "Just our first week here we had so many near death experiences. Don't you remember how we were chained up in that bathroom by the gaming club?"

"Yeah" as Kaede soon gave a nervous chuckle herself.

"Besides she always been fond of living a normal human life as she never really practiced magic much. At best she can do dowsing. But nothing really more after that".

Kaede gave an acknowledging nod. Since they were kids, Yuka would always get in her way in trying to get close to her cousin. Now that she wasn't here that gave her plenty of opportunities to get closer to the youth. However it was a task easier said than done. Frankly Kohta must have been super dense to not understand the clues she was giving him. It amazed her that a guy with as many talents and abilities as him was so blind to what was in front of him. However that just meant she needed to be more forward and direct with her intentions. As her first act, she was going to invite him to the annual festival dance that occurred around the bon fire that happened at the end of this event. But as she opened her mouth to speak she was interrupted by a bald Yakuza looking man. "Hey! Have you seen this kid?"

The pair looked to the man to see as he was not only disgruntled but jittery as well as he seemed to have been in a hurry. "Is this person your son or something?" Kohta asked genuinely trying to be helpful.

"Yeah yeah that right" the yakuza looking man then said. "I needed to give something really important to him. Something he forgot".

"I see" as Kohta gave a nod, "can you tell me what he looks like?"

The man looked up in thought while rubbing his chin. "He's got dark brown hair kind of your height and wears a red tie".

Kohta and Kaede could only blink at this as that was less then helpful as it pretty much described most of the boys on campus.

"Oh yeah! He was also with a pink haired girl. She should be with him".

Obviously not meaning her, "_could he mean Tsukune and Moka?_" Kaede thought curiously as she looked the man over once more. "_Can't be his dad or uncle as they don't look anything alike . . . . Hmm, how curious_". Just about as she was about to voice her doubts . . . .

"Yeah, he should be in the forest" Kohta smiled pointing to the said direction.

"Yeah thanks kid!" as the yakuza looking man soon ran off into the said direction.

Kaede could only gape at this. At seeing the man no longer in sight, "weren't you the least bit suspicious about him? He obviously isn't related to Tsukune. So why did you point him his way?"

Kohta blinked at this for a moment as his face started to stretch more in more upon realization at how absentminded his action was.

Seeing his stunned face, Kaede immediately waved her hand at this. "But I'm sure it's nothing! It's probably misunderstanding is all" as she gave a strained chuckle.

The youth then rubbed his chin to this as he gave it some thought. "Hmm, I suppose you're right . . . ."

Giving a sigh of relief in not losing his attention, "So Kohta about tonight . . . ."

"But I think we should go check anyways just to be safe" as Kohta was soon walking towards Tsukune's last known area.

At seeing him walk off, Kaede could only give a sigh. ". . . . Would you like to go to the festival dance with me . . . ." Her shoulders sagged in defeat for a moment as she soon went after him.

Taking their time to get through trying to get pass the huge crowds of people, roars of screams could be heard in the distance as it grew louder and louder as time passed.

"What's going on?" as Kohta was alarmed to the noise.

"Wait! Look there! Everyone in changing back to the real forms! What's going on?" asked Kaede in disbelief at what was happening.

Looking around, that's when the youth spotted it. Flying just above was a fairy like creature as it carried its mirror reflecting the true forms of every monster that was unfortunate enough to look at it. "The Ririsu mirror! Why is such a thing like that here?"

"Kohta, what's going on? What is this mirror doing?"

"I'll explain later. But first we need to get out of here before everyone here goes berserk".

"First tell me what this mirror is doing!"

But seeing it heading right at them, Kohta jumped in front of his pink friend burying her head in his chest making certain her reflection did not reach the mirror. As it flew by students, parents, friends, and visitors all started to mutate back to their original forms as confusion and chaos began to overwhelm everyone's senses as discord was inevitable as outbreaks of violence began to occur.

"What is going on?" Kaede muffled trying to push Kohta off her.

"Talk later!" as they both soon sank into his shadow moving them to another location via teleportation. "_There has to be a place that's still safe to be_". Using the infinite sight of his darkness, that's where he saw them. "_Thank goodness they're still OK_" as he made his way to them.

Traveling quickly through the void, they arrived to Tsukune's general area as Kaede soon pushed him off. "What going on already? What's this Ririsu mirror?"

"A dangerous artifact when used a certain way against a monster or in this case many monsters at once. It's a mirror that not only reflects your true form but your inner self allowing instinct to overwhelm reason".

"Then what does it matter if it reflected my image? My horns would only appear then".

" . . . . Right" as the pair started to move towards Tsukune's group. Reaching them, they were informed of the situation of who the perpetrator was and what had happened to the Moka. "I see, but it's going to be difficult to go after her. Everyone here has fallen into madness. But also understand that whoever holds the mirror has the ability to control anyone who lost themselves to it. Moka-san is in danger if she went off alone like this". Turning about analyzing the situation, "it would seem they strategically closed off the path so that you wouldn't be able to follow".

"Then it's clear what we have to do" said Kaede. "We're going to have to clear a path".

"Agreed, we'll open a way for you guys to make it to Moka-san. She's going to need your help as soon as possible".

"That's dangerous!" as Tsukune expressed his concerns. "You two can't do this alone!"

"That's right! Let us at least fight this alongside you" said Ruby.

"Please, don't try to burden this all on your own" then said Yukari.

"It's alright" as the youth tried to ease their tensions. "You guys need to make it to your friend as she needs you now".

"And besides" Kaede continued, "if this situation continued as it is a lot of innocent people can get hurt. So someone needs to stay behind to manage the damage control as well as try to subdue them as best we can".

Kohta then approached both Tsukune and Yukari as he placed his hand on both their shoulders. "We're the photography club remember. We've always got the newspaper clubs back. So it's time that you all go to your friend who needs you now".

"Oniisan . . . ."

"Kohta-san . . . ."

"Don't lose yourselves" as Kaede looked to Kurumu, Mizore, and Ruby. "Even if she may be a stubborn vampire, she isn't invincible. She's going to always need friends like you to be there for her".

"Kaede . . . ." Kurumu said softly as Mizore and Ruby gave a slow nod too.

With nothing more to say, the magi and diclonius turned about as they faced the issuing chaos that had gripped the school. "Get ready to move. The path will only be opened momentarily".

Giving a nod in understanding, Tsukune's group prepped themselves to make a run for it as the flyers for their group were going to airlift them as traveling by that method was the fastest and safest way to go. However they were not without reservation. Compared to their task of stopping Ishigami, what Kohta and Kaede were doing was on par with suicide as they were facing off against the entire school which was practically a war zone. But they understood their role. Although heavy hearted, they could only hope they finished this soon.

"_You ready?_" Kaede telepathically thought out to her battle partner.

"_When you are, but remember these guys are victims too. Use only enough force to subdue them. Not to injure_".

"_Aren't you making this easy_" she then thought blandly.

"_I know this is going to be difficult. But just try to bear with it_".

"_Fine, you go left and I'll take right!_" to which on that note the duo split unleashing their abilities opening the way to where Moka was.

Upon that brief window Tsukune and his friends were off but not before wishing for their safety and vice versa.

But now with their introduction, most of the monsters who were not busy fighting amongst each other or destroying the school were now focused on who had joined the fray. The goal was to reduce the number of casualties as it was fine if the school was damaged as those things can be rebuilt.

Although the general idea of most battles was to beat up your opponent or to avoid conflict altogether, neither were the case. Essentially both Kohta and Kaede disliked the plan very much as it involved them getting the attention of every monster around them to focus and attack them as they wouldn't be hurting each other. Furthermore to handicap their already dire situation was that they were all victims of Ishigami's manipulation as fighting them would be unethical. So they were forced to play defensive hoping Tsukune and his friends could finish their task soon.

Getting the attention as many as they could, the pair were dealing with the situation in their own way at the best of their abilities.

Kohta using his magic put to use his many abilities of teleporting through shadows, movement sealing, becoming incorporeal, and generating shield and barrier spells. But for all that he was, he was still governed by the laws of a physical body as he did grow tired as his magic and physical strength diminished as he started to take injuries.

Kaede too suffered from the same drawbacks. Using her vectors, she dodged, maneuvered, and shielded as monster after monster were just dog piling to get her. But just like her friend, her endurance was running short as she too began to take on hits.

"I never realized how many different kinds of monsters attended this school" Kohta cringed as his arms felt like lead just trying to maintain their position to cast his spell. However it was difficult as he had about reached his limitations as he did not even have enough energy to heal himself as severe cuts and bruises could be seen as blood soaked his tattered and ripped uniform.

". . . . I'm not sure how long I can keep this up" heavily breathed Kaede as her legs felt like jelly. Using her vectors excessively caused her some severe mental fatigue as she was even having trouble keeping her eyes open and focused at what was coming at her. Just like the former, her body had sustained some nasty injuries as her uniform was in shambles as parts of it were soaked in her blood.

However they endured for as long as they could.

Coming from behind, a massive mantis like monster slashed down with its claws causing a large gash in the youth's back as he screamed out in pain before falling into a kneeling position on the ground instinctively reaching for the wound.

As the mantis prepared for another swing, "Kohta!" Kaede exclaimed as she pushed herself searching for what little stamina her body could muster as she was instantly at his side catching the massive claw with her bare hands causing them to bleed before diverting it away as she too fell to her knees as her hands shivered to the nasty gash on her palms.

Wincing in pain, the youth pulled what willpower he had raising his arms using what was left of his magic to erect a barrier around them as this was their final stand if Tsukune's group did not accomplish their mission.

Doing what she could, Kaede reinforced the barrier with her vectors before closing her eyes trying to maintain her concentration as her back met with Kohta's as he too was leaning against her now as they both sat on the ground just trying to hold on as all the monsters around them began to viciously pound on their final defense.

"Kaede-chan . . . ." whispered Kohta almost barely audible, "you're bleeding . . . ."

"Yeah?" as she gave a small smile. "You are too . . . . But if I had to judge . . . . I definitely did a lot better then you during this little scuffle . . . . "

"You're probably right" giving a strained chuckle. Kohta lifted his left arm a bit. "I got completely mauled here when I lost my ability to stay incorporeal . . . . Just goes to show you I'm still just a regular guy in the end . . . ."

Kaede gave a slight chuckle to this. "Well . . . . You've always been an idiot . . . ." which caused Kohta choke a bit in amusement. "But I guess I can't say much either . . . ." as she held right side as blood crept through her fingers from her open wound.

But now all around them angry roars could be heard as their final defense was slowly cracking under the barrage of attacks as fractures appeared as soon it would fall.

Hearing some soft giggles, "something you find funny Kaede-chan?" Kohta asked leaning his back more into his friend.

"You know" as the horned girl gave a soft smile, "I've been trying to ask you something really important for a while now . . . . But something kept happening each time I tried to ask . . . ."

"Heh, really? What was it?" Kohta breathed out.

"I was wondering" leaning her back more into her friend, " . . . . If you'd be interested . . . . In taking me to the festival dance . . . ."

"Really? You'd actually want a guy like me to take you?"

"I've always been the kind of girl who gets what she wants . . . . And regardless of your shortcomings I still want you to take me . . . ."

Looking up as the barrier was reaching its limit as fractures occurred all around, Kohta gave a serene smile. ". . . . Sure" as he reached back gripping Kaede's hand to which she returned.

"Thank you" as it was then the barrier broke into shards as all the monsters converged on them.

* * *

~ Youkai Academy ~ (the next day)

"School will be dismissed early this year" announced Mikogami. "Due to the destruction of the school I declare this term finished. So to all students please enjoy your vacation and prepare for the next coming school term. That is all" as the head master turned to leave making preparations to repair the academy.

As much murmur went about amongst the crowd of students, a certain magi along with his pink diclonius friend gave a nod to this as they turned about looking to Tsukune and his friends. "You guys really did cut it close. But in the end you really saved our butts out there. A second later if you didn't take back that mirror we would have been ripped to shreds".

"I'm sorry we couldn't do it faster" Tsukune apologized. "But we ended up into some trouble ourselves when we arrived".

"Are you two really OK to leave the hospital?" Yukari asked.

"We're fine" answered Kaede. "After Kohta regained most of his energy he automatically healed as he applied his healing magic on me" raising her arm patting her bicep. "I feel good as new".

"Thank goodness".

Just like that buses began to pull up ready to return all the students back to their homes all around the world.

Giving their good-byes, the two parties separated as they prepared to go home. Although to Kohta and Kaede amusement, the moment the meek boy handed his address to all his friends almost instantly they all got onto separate buses heading to the same location in order to get a one up on each other over the vacation. If that didn't spell disaster they didn't know what did.

But now waiting for their buses to arrive, "hey Kohta . . . . Are you in a hurry to get back home?"

The youth's eyebrow arched at this as he looked to his friend. "Why do you ask?"

"Well . . . ." as she looked away with a faint blush. "my bus in coming soon and I was wondering . . . . Did you want to come to my place?"

"Hmm?"

"I mean!" as she looked back to him with extreme embarrassment, "to say hello to my mother! She wanted to thank you after all!"

Blinking a bit, Kohta gave a smile. "Sure, I don't mind coming over" to which Kaede warmly smiled too.

"But it'll be a while before a bus to Kamakura appears".

Knowing that to be true, the youth took Kaede's hand into his own as he guided her to an open area as some wreckage surrounded them.

"Kohta?"

"I still owe you that dance don't I?"

"What?" she then shot out stepping back from him. "You want us to dance here like this! That's too embarrassing! There's not even any music!"

Kohta gave a chuckle to this as he turned his attention towards the wreckage. Waving his hand, logs of wood began to form and assemble in a tower like frame as the center of it was soon set ablaze. From other broken wood, they began to reconfigure themselves into many kinds of musical instruments as with a little enchantment started to play a rather slow and soft tune. With a little wave of his hand, the scenery around them grew darker as the light of the bon fire soon took hold. Now looking to Kaede, he extended his hand as if inviting her. "If you may Kaede-chan".

Her blush grew for a bit as her eye wondered due to how flustered she felt. But soon reaching out, he took his hand. Slowly bringing themselves close to each other they began their dance. With their concentration on each other, it went unnoticed to them how soon others began to join them as they all danced around the fire.

As the tune carried them through this dance, the fire soon began to grow dimmer as it signaled the end of their first year at youkai academy.

To be continued . . . .

* * *

Author's notes: Nothing really to say as I hope this chapter was OK.

So I thank you all for reading this fic and I further extend my gratitude if you can review it as well.


	25. Nightmare

Rosario to Elf

Disclaimer: I do not own Elfen Lied, Rosario + Vampire, or any characters associated with either of the series.

"talking"

_thoughts_

* * *

Nightmare

* * *

"Are you feeling OK Kaede-chan?" Kohta asked seeing his friend hunched over breathing heavily as she sweated.

"I'm fine" Kaede stuttered seeming flushed as she leaned against the railing of the train that was leading back to Kamakura. "Just a headache is all . . . ."

"Really?" as the youth placed his hand to her forehead. "You're burning up! I think you're running a fever!"

". . . . It's fine" as Kaede took a few sharp breaths. "I just need to rest a little . . . ."

"Come on" as Kohta kneeled positioning his arms back. "I'll carry you home".

"That's' fine" she refused sharply with a mixture of both pride and embarrassment. Just entering the Kamakura area, her head felt like splitting open the closer she got to her home town. She couldn't quite describe her current ailment. For it wasn't like she was really getting sick, but something was pounding against her mind the moment she came back which was causing her headache to grow worse the longer and closer she came to Kamakura. If anything, it felt like so many voices were screaming at her at once just clawing at her mental barriers trying to get in. "_Does it have something to do with my increased powers? But then where are all these voices coming from?_"

Losing balance for just a moment, Kohta pulled her back to her feet. "This is serious Kaede-chan. I think you need to get some rest now". After a bit of arguing and a few compromises, the horned girl slung her arm around her friend as he supported her by her shoulder as they began to walk to her home.

After some distance, they arrived to a warm welcoming two story house. Stepping to the front door, they knocked as soon an elder brunette haired woman answered.

"Hello mother . . . ." smiled Kaede wearily.

Kaede's mother Mikomi Hikaru was expecting this moment for so long when her little girl would return to being her real self. For several years she waited as now that time has finally come. However this wasn't exactly what she had in mind when it came to first meetings. "Are you OK?" she asked with much concern. "What's wrong?" as she pressed her forehead against her daughters.

Just as Kaede was about to speak, Kohta was quick to interrupt. "She's not feeling well Mrs. Hikaru. She needs to go lay down for a while".

"I understand" as Mikomi stepped aside guiding the children in and pointing to her daughter's room as Kohta then helped her into bed tucking her in.

". . . . This is so embarrassing" said Kaede rather dazed as she looked away from her friend and mother.

"Don't be like that Kaede-chan" smiled Kohta. "When you're sick just let people take care of you. It's only natural".

The horned girl's face turned a slight shade redder. ". . . . Whatever".

Kohta gave a nod to this. "Alright, get some rest OK". Then exiting the room closely followed by Mikomi, they then came to the living room area. "If it's OK with you Mrs. Hikaru, I'm going to go the market to get some supplies to make some soup so Kaede-chan can feel better in no time".

Immediately finding this odd, "couldn't you just use magic to heal her?"

"Well magic can only do so much. But sometimes a nice bowl of chicken soup is all the magic one needs" Kohta said in a rather chipper way.

Turning about to leave, Mikomi stopped him as there was something that she wanted to say. "Thank you Kohta . . . . For keeping your promise in bringing my daughter back to me".

"Not a problem" the youth smiled. "When I make a promise you can guarantee that I will always keep it". With that Kohta made his way to the market to get what he needed.

Watching him leave Mikomi gave a slight giggle. "You're rather lucky to have him in your life Kaede" as she soon returned to her daughters side to see what she can do for her until the youth came back.

* * *

~ Kamakura (The Facility) ~

On an isolated island miles away from the shore of Kamakura laid a scientific facility whose sole purpose was to study a strange oddity that had appeared in the world several years back. It all started with a gruesome murder at an orphanage which claimed the lives of four children. Although unnecessary, an autopsy was mandatory for all deaths in general. Upon examining their bodies a strange virus was discovered in their blood stream. With a closer look, a strange anomaly was revealed with how this virus interacted with human D.N.A.

Observing the virus as it worked, it only seemed to affect males or more specifically their reproductive D.N.A. Through them, only female children were born who not only had horns but also exhibited psychic abilities. Although human in relative appearance, these children were categorized as a sub-species of humans dubbed silpelits.

However because of their unique abilities and that they weren't even classified as human, much experimentation was done. Since creating more wasn't too difficult in addition to the fact that they matured quickly, they were never short of test subjects. Although they made rapid scientific progression due to their hands on experiments of physiologically similar humans, this facility abandoned all sense of ethics and morality for the sake of their experiments.

But on this day, all technicians were running around in a panic as something major was occurring.

"Report! Has there been any change in the status?"

"No sir! It's happening to every silpelit here! They are reacting to something!"

"Theories then, do we have an idea of what it is?"

"Sir! If anything we believe the only thing that could cause this mass eruption of chaos is the possible presence of subject zero".

"That can't be, after all these years there is no way subject zero would appear out of the blue like that".

"It's the only thing that can explain the mass psychic synchronization going on. We assume that subject zero is the only presence capable of causing mayhem of this magnitude as only very few silpelits were able to cause an uproar of this kind. However this is on an entirely different scale as every silpelit in the facility is reacting to it".

The current lead scientist had to think carefully about everything that was brought to his attention. With discovering with how the virus works, all males were required to be fixed to prevent an external outbreak preventing any children from them being born. However they were rather diligent in quarantining this threat as they made sure no silpeilts outside the facility were born. So with everything he knew, it only meant one thing. "Scramble a tracker team. Find out the source of this presence. If so, bring silpelits we can control along. If this is truly subject zero, we want to be prepared when we capture it".

Upon those orders, everything was put into motion as soon a tracker and retrieval team was now on the move to the mainland.

* * *

~ Kamakura (Hikaru residence) ~

Mikomi looked worriedly to her daughter as her condition seemed to be worsening.

"Water . . . . Please . . . ." Kaede whispered out to which her mother carefully poured the cool liquid into her mouth.

"Rest now dear, Kohta will soon be back. I'll see to other things while we're waiting".

The horned girl gave a slow nod to this as she closed her eyes to get some sleep. However doing so only made the pain worse which irked her without end. She knew something was trying to reach her. However there were just so many voices talking at once each one screaming just to be heard. To say the least, it gave her an immense migraine as she was trying to shut them all out. However that only made the voices more aggressive in their need to be heard. But of all the voices echoing in her head, one was getting louder and louder as if this presence was getting closer.

"_It is not safe . . . . Run away while you still can . . . ._"

"_What? Who is this? What are you talking about?_"

"_There is no time! Run away now!_" which caused Kaede's eyes to snap open as she shot straight up into a sitting position.

"I need to get out of here . . . ." Although she didn't want to think much of it, she knew when to trust her gut. Her gut was telling her to run. Whatever this danger might have been, it was something she didn't want to put her mother in front of. So steadying herself as she wobbly got to her feet, she quickly moved as fast as she could to get as much distance from home. With her current condition, she was not confident that she could defend them both to which at the very least limit the danger to only herself.

Taking notice, "Kaede! What are you doing?" Mikomi asked stopping her as she held her shoulders trying to keep her steady.

"I'm sorry" Kaede apologized breathing heavily, "but I don't have time to explain right now" as she pushed her aside quickly exiting through the front door.

"Kaede wait! Please tell me what's going on!" as Mikomi tried to follow after her only to find that the door refused to open. She then looked down to see that the lock was broken into place to prevent entrance or exits. "Kaede! Please answer me!" she then said desperately.

"I'm sorry mother" Kaede whispered as she leaned against the door. "When Kohta comes . . . . He'll know where to find me . . . ." as pushing herself the best she could, she steadied her legs as she went into a full out run.

Soon after following from behind were those sent to capture her.

* * *

~ Kamakura (neighborhood) ~

Kohta whistled to himself hauling bags in hand as he took his time getting back to the Hikaru residence.

"I hope Kaede-chan will like the porridge I'm going to make her although pitiful it's the only thing I can make" giving a half chuckle.

It amazed the youth that after a stretch of so many lifetimes, he was still such a lousy cook as he was only able to make a few items.

Allowing that thought to process, "You'd think one of my ancestors would learn how to cook, but I guess it's OK".

Kohta still mused constantly about his role as the avatar of the god of darkness which was essentially nothing as they were just simple shades left over from an older time within history. More so it was maddening with how many memories he had over many lives across the millennia. But in a way it was quite insightful as he could appreciate how far the world has come after the time of the gods had ended. But inside him, he couldn't help but fell troubled over a certain thought. That was how the era of the gods ended . . . .

But arriving to the Hikaru residence, he returned to his chipper attitude as he knocked on the door. "Mrs. Hikaru, its Kohta. I'm back".

Upon hearing who it was, the elder woman ran to the door as she banged against it. "Kohta! You need to help! Kaede is in trouble!" she said hysterically as her voice trembled after an untold time of crying.

"What?" as Kohta dropped what he was holding. Going for the door, he broke the lock as Mikomi trying to settle herself down told him everything that had happened.

* * *

~ Kamakura (The Facility) ~

Kaede felt sick beyond belief as her mind and body was bruised and battered as she found herself in some body tight restraint suit with a helmet over her head as she was suspended in some cage several feet above the ground.

"_What the hell . . . ._" as she felt like throwing up. During the chase, men armed with guns she'd never seen before began shooting at her out of the blue. Regardless of how well she blocked, she couldn't believe how much focus it took just to stop one of their shots. This being fact, she had no choice but to run as they continued to shoot at her.

But what really surprised her were the appearance of other girls with horns just like herself as they attacked her with powers similar to her own.

As valiantly as she fought with much destruction to the surrounding area, she was eventually overpowered and only conscious long enough to see restraints being placed on her until eventually she woke up here in this unknown place.

"_What is that? What is that!_" as Kaede clamped her eyes shut as the pain became ten times worse the more her mind cleared up. "_Stop! Please stop!_" as she attempted to shake head. It was like nails on a chalk board as she so badly wanted the screeching in her mind to stop.

However her focus was then redirected as two men walked into the room with one much older than the other.

"There is no doubt about it father. She is the one, the one our family for so long has waited for".

"Quiet" said the older man, as his eyes then focused on their captive. "It would seem our guest has awakened". Giving a cough as if to grab her attention, "Greetings, allow me to introduce myself, I am Kakuzawa and this is my son" swaying his hand to his direction. "And we have been waiting for your arrival for a very long time".

". . . . What?" as Kaede was still half in and out.

"We've been expecting you as foretold by our ancestors as soon it will be the time to strike back against those arrogant human scums that plagues the Earth".

"What the hell are you bellowing on about?" Kaede gritted as she was growing angry. "I don't know what kind of crap you're spewing. But I promise you that I'm going to rub that smug look off your face once I get out of here!"

Kakuzawa grunted as this as he stared silently to the queen before turning about followed by his son. "I'll give you time to cool off. We'll then continue our conversation then".

"Get back here you old fart so I can kick your wrinkled old ass!" But upon finishing her statement she winced again in pain. Now the voices were louder than ever as they even overwhelmed her own basic five senses as they all went dead in favor of her sixth one. "_Stop it!_" she screamed out mentally. "_Get out of my mind!_"

All Kaede could hear was white noise, but it didn't make the screaming she heard any better.

Now somewhat aware, she understood why she was in so much pain. The voices were all coming from wherever she was. Although she couldn't understand a word that they were saying, she did understand one thing. That was they were all screaming out in pain.

* * *

~ Kamakura (Hikaru residence) ~

"Please . . . ." Mikomi cried. "Bring my daughter back to me . . . . I can't bear to lose her again".

"I will" Kohta nodded. "I promise" standing up, "I will bring Kaede-chan back".

"But you don't know where she went . . . . and I can't sense where she is right now . . . ."

"Don't worry" the youth smiled trying to ease her worries. "No matter where on Earth she is, I will always find her". So closing his eyes using his spell the eye of darkness, every shadow in the world became his eyes as he looked around for where his friend could be. After searching what seemed like infinity, he found her several thousands of feet under the ocean in a very well fortified institute.

Just thinking about teleporting to her, he was not able to establish a stable portal to where she was. "_Why is this spell not working?_" But looking around, he was surprised to find that Kaede was not the only one of her kind there as the entire place seemed to have been populated with diclonius. "_But how can that be? Something I can probably ask later_". If this was the case, he understood why he couldn't just teleport in as vectors had a strange effect on magic. With the numbers he was counting he knew why his portals wouldn't stabilize. Seeing no way around, he knew what he had to do.

"Don't worry" Kohta smiled. "I'll bring her home safely".

"Please be careful".

With a nod of affirmation, the youth sank into his shadow disappearing from sight.

* * *

~ Kamakura (The Facility) ~

Appearing right outside the massive complex, the youth had to plan carefully how he was going to get to the bottom level.

Teleportation was out of the question to strange spacial disturbance which only left the direct route as he had to make his way down level by level. Furthermore he needed to conserve his stamina as there was no telling what he might be running into while going down.

So needing to be a bit creative with how he used his magic, he created a cloak of darkness to wear to serve as his armor while going down as it was less draining by comparison than converting his body into the said form. "I better go incognito, would hate to trouble people if they discover who I am". So waving his hand in front of his face, darkness appeared as it then solidified into a kitsune mask. Walking through a wall, he was ready to descend down.

Being careful, Kohta made sure to stay out of the sight of people and security cameras as he did not wish for anyone to be alarmed to his presence. The objective was simple as he was here to take Kaede back and nothing more. The humans of this facility would kill anything indiscriminately upon a moment's notice which made them dangerous in a way. But it did amuse the youth in a way how far science has come in the last three hundred years with the evolution of guns as he saw a few guards walk by with semi-automatics.

Quietly as he moved like the shadows and hid within them when necessary, he easily cleared the first three floors walking by scientists and guards as he continued to descend. So long as he kept up this pace, he'd reach Kaede within an hour as she was still several floors away. But being the way he was, his heart soon betrayed him with what he heard next.

"Please stop! No more please!" pleaded a young female voice as a loud thud was heard soon after. "Please! I don't want to die!" she cried.

Elsewhere other voices could be heard ranging in cries of anguish and suffering as cruel experiments and depraved human acts were performed on them.

Listening to this, Kohta's face tightened as what was being done was truly horrible. As his body tensed, he then relaxed giving a sharp exhale. "I'm sorry Kaede-chan, please wait just a bit longer".

To be continued . . . .

* * *

Author's notes: **IMPORTANT NOTICE** – I've about ran out of inspiration to finish this story. So one of two things will happen as either I find inspiration again to finish the story as I intended or the next chapter will be the final one with all my notes indicating how I planned on ending it.

Well I guess that's it . . . .

So I thank you all for reading this fic thus far.


	26. End of the Line

As promised I'm going to write how this was going to end.

As noted by a few people, this story has gone downhill. Going back to re-write sections of the story would only prove to be painful to everyone involved.

In addition I broke one of my personal rules when it comes to writing to which I'll kick myself for later.

So I will give the general outline to how things go and write out a few scenes that I was going to keep no matter what.

End of the Line

So traveling down the diclonius research facility, Kohta fights his way through much of the security as he frees silpelits. Along the way, he meets Nana and Mariko who fights him under orders by Kakuzawa but were subdued as Kohta continues to travel further down where he frees Kaede from her captivity. Upon facing Kakuzawa, Kohta instills the greatest most terrible punishment the gods ever bestowed on anyone which was being thrown into the void prison (which is the equivalent to Tartarus for the Greeks) which strips a person of all their senses besides their ability to think and feel pain which is meant to torture it's inmate for all time.

Now standing over the hill Kohta, Kaede, and the other silpelits watch as Kohta sinks the island underneath the waves effectively ending Kakuzawa's dream. It's there Kohta kisses Kaede sharing a portion of his magic with her as a way for her to protect herself if her vectors ever fail. Kohta transport the silpelits to a country side area where they can live in peace with the world.

Then some weeks later they meet up with Mayu as they decide to investigate her. In doing so they learn she's an abused child. As Kaede wants to help her, Kohta refuses to do anything much to her anger as she runs off to the girls defense. Of course after a bit of a scuffle, Kohta does get involved. With the matter resolved as Kaede's mother adopts her, Kohta tells Kaede the reason why he couldn't interfere.

* * *

"Tell me Kohta" Kaede asked.

The youth could only sigh to this as he walked out to the balcony grabbing the railing as he looked to the night sky. "It's a long story that dates back in a much older time. But simply as it were, a promise amongst the gods was made. A swear upon our word that we would never interfere within the lives of mortals no matter what".

"Why would you all make such a promise? If so, why did you help me then?"

"You're . . . . A special case Kaede-chan. But it's a matter that almost sparked a war between the gods".

* * *

Here Kohta reveals Zeus being the ultimate prick that he is used the elves as his personal play things. Odin taking pity on them came to their defense which angered the Greek thunder god. As things boiled between the Greek and Norse gods, things got ever more hectic as other gods started to become argumentative with how they should interact in the mortal world. After a few scuffles here and there, an oath was made never to use their powers on mortals unless under the strictest terms they were being challenged by them or in need to defend themselves. Otherwise everything else was fair play.

Next year then begins at youkai academy as it opens up with Mikagami's pet that Kokoa whacked landing on Kohta. For the rest of the first day, it involves how Kohta and Kaede fills in a few blanks here and there.

A few weeks then pass as the pair are attacked by a witch who is wielding Thor's hammer Mjolnir. In defeating him, Kohta has an emergency meeting with Anna (Amaterasu) who reincarnated into a successful half-Japanese half-European businesswoman and Haru (Sussano) who reincarnated into a simple convenience store clerk. He learns they were also attacked by other witches wielding other lightning based weapons being Zeus master bolt and Raijin thunder clap.

Making sure their treasure tools are safe the trio go to find the shrine they were being kept at was under attack by demons who wanted to possess them. So the trio plus Kaede dispatch them all as the trinity gods reclaim their treasure tools.

It's here that it's foreshadowed that the gods are aware of what Kaede is and that Kohta is playing a dangerous game by keeping her alive. So at this point Kohta tells her if she continues to wish to come along to only use magic and not her vectors.

So splitting up, the trio decides to return the treasure tools back to their owners. But Kohta decides to make a stop in Hong Kong to see an information broker to see if he knows anything about what is going on. Along the way Kohta and Kaede get into a fight with some local gangsters completely crushing them while also being mistaken for Tsukune and Moka. This incident is what initially grabs Fong-Fong attention about going to youkai academy.

Going to Norse territory, Kohta goes to explain to Kaede that Asgard along with Mount Olympus is the last physical remnants of their civilization. Going there they learn that the perpetrator behind the stolen weapons was none other than Loki as he's currently backing fairy tale with resources as he's using them as a stepping stone to reclaim the gods former glory they once had over the world. To work unhindered, he imprisoned his fellow Norse men. So here it's practically an uphill battle just trying to get some sense of order back. It's also here that bits of Kaede's dark side begin reappearing. But eventually they succeed as Odin punishes Loki for breaking his oath as Kaede becomes an honorary member of the Valkryrie. The highest honor beseeched upon a mortal woman.

Celebrating with the Norse gods, they receive news that Zeus had imprisoned Amaterasu for the crime of stealing his master bolt. So making haste, Kohta goes to confront him and explain the situation. But is not believed as Zeus is being an a**hole as he always is. Proving too much, Zeus then takes Kaede from him threatening to have his way with her which gives Kohta the motivation he needed to manage to hurt Zeus. The next conversation more or less goes as such.

* * *

"This woman, is she really worth going to war for?"

"As there was Helen of Troy for the Greek, yes" Kohta answered. "For her sake, I will go to war against you to take her back".

* * *

Impressed by his bravado, he returns Kaede and offers a deal that if he can pick a great deed he will listen more to what he has to say. So visiting his old friend Apollo, he learns from him that his sister Artemis is currently the gate keeper to the garden that houses the tree of the golden apples. Apollo still goes on to explain how his sister still has distaste for him for something Kohta did in the past hence why her grudge against men. So taking the only route offered, Kaede partly seduces Artemis allowing her entrance to the garden while there she picks the apple.

With some incident or two, it goes more into the background of the god's history. Rather simply the reason they are so ahead of everyone else was because they were the first race on the planet followed by demons then humans. Also the fact that most of the stories about them recorded in mythology were either mortals making up stories about them or not understanding what they saw. But the big thing is that most of them are not brothers or sisters.

With Kaede's complete outbreak of her dark side, it also goes into the reason why the age of the gods ended. The virus that created Kaede was also present centuries ago during the age of the gods. With it, it created beings of unnatural powers with an insatiable appetite for destruction. As these beings rose up to fight the gods, much death occurred until practically nothing was left but ruins and very few of them left to jump start there civilization. Thus there age ended which kick started the age of mortals being the dominant race on the planet.

This starts the first battle between Kohta and Kaede with Kaede's victory almost killing him which ends with Kohta in a coma state due to his unsettled feelings about what he should do.

From here Kaede stealing a great deal of magic starts wreaking havoc all over the world. But to complete her destruction she must first deal with the gods by razing an army to battle them. In doing so, she forcefully recruits all the silpelits and many other malevolent existences long forgotten by humans and demons.

Understanding how dire the situation is, the gods once more take up arms against this threat for the sake of preserving life. Upon the eve of war, Kohta reawakens understanding what must be down. Bringing their powers to bare the gods were off to war against Kaede.

With the use of a little magic, the battle takes place in another dimension in order to reduce the damage done to the Earth. As both sides clash, much death occurs on both sides.

Fighting his way through Kohta, Anna, and Haru barely make it to the enemy stronghold. Somewhat understanding what Kohta is going to do, they give him their items being Sussano sword and Amaterasu tama.

Pushing his way in, the second battle occurs between Kohta and Kaede. As the bout takes place, Kaede is distracting him making him question if he can really take her life while he in return tries to appeal to her to come back to her senses. As this psychological warfare occurs, the battle goes back and forth.

Going all in for a last ditch effort, the two strike at each dealing fatal injuries. This snaps Kaede back to her sanity. However the damage is done. Although Kohta could be saved, Kaede was dying.

Of course he had the option of saving her, but doing so would be far too cruel. When it came to punishment by the gods, it was going to be a fate worse than death. As its then that Kohta makes his choice.

* * *

Kohta held her close as Kaede returned the affection while her blood leaked from mouth as her consciousness was wavering in and out.

Holding her tightly, tears began to slide down the sides of his face. "Do you remember all those years ago what I promised you?"

Kaede nodded a bit. "You promised" she breathed out, "you promised you'd always be by my side" as soon she too began to shed tears. Although not in control of her actions, she knew what her darker self had done and there was going to be no forgiveness from the gods for how many she slaughtered. Understanding that Kohta was going to let her die to spare her a life of torture, she also then understood what he was about to do. "Don't" she managed to squeak out biting her lip trying to keep herself steady. "Don't die . . . ."

"It's already done" said Kohta as they were now standing on a spell circle. "I swore I would always be by your side and a god's word is their honor".

"Kohta . . . ." as Kaede closed her eyes as more tears came about.

* * *

It is then they die together as the war had ended with Kaede's death freeing the silpelits from her control and others as well.

Finishing things up the god's show mercy to the silpelits. Although dangerous, they were no real threat so long as they couldn't infect others or reproduce. So they were allowed to live out their final days in peace and harmony within the garden of Elysium which was essentially paradise with no sense of pain or suffering there as everything was provided. Receding back into the shadows, the gods resume their normal mortal lives.

Time skip seven years later, Yukari now in her twenties wanders the streets of Kamakura reminiscing the time when she was Kanae and the times she had with her brother and his friend.

* * *

A saddened look graced her face. Although she was not Kanae anymore, she still felt the loss of a family member and more so that of a good man. Walking through the neighborhood, the witch soon stumbled out of her daze with someone running into her. Looking down, her eyes widened as she saw a familiar looking boy who was seven years of age rubbing his head after falling to the ground.

"I told you to watch where you were going".

Yukari then looked to the boys female companion equally as stunned due to her extreme familiarity to a girl she once knew except now she had black hair and no horns.

Brushing himself off, the boy stood up while giving a goofy smile. "Sorry miss, I was so excited about today. I was going to show my friend around the park. I'm very sorry that I ran into you like that".

"Geez" the young girl huffed. "You're always trying to show off".

The boy only chuckled in response to this.

Yukari still stunned finally regained her wits as she kneeled before the two children while wearing a warm smile. "You two have been friends for a while?"

"Yep, she likes to get into fights a lot. So I always need to be around her to make sure she doesn't get hurt".

"Don't say it like that. It's not my fault those things happen. They're the ones who usually start it".

The boy chuckled again as he took his companion's hand. "I always promised to be by her side. Someday I'm going to marry her!"

The girl blushed deep red to this. "Idiot . . . ." the girl muttered even though she looked somewhat happy to his declaration.

Yukari chuckled a bit. "You take care of her and make sure to keep her out of trouble OK" as she circled her finger casting a spell on them.

Seeing the sparkles, "what was that?"

"Just a little charm to grant you happiness. Now you better be off now" as the witch stood up.

"Well it was nice talking to you" as the boy then began to run off with his friend in tow.

"It was good meeting you!" as the girl waved before disappearing along with her friend.

Yukari could only warmly smile to this. The spell she casted was that of analysis as she wanted to confirm her suspicion. Receiving confirmation, her smile widened as she watched from the distance as the two kids were happily talking with each other as they walked off. Turning about leaving as well, there was a slight skip to her step. "Perhaps this time around you two can find that happy ending you were looking for" as she was going to watch over them to make sure they reached it.

* * *

It's then revealed that Kohta's final spell sent them both to the wheel of reincarnation which completely purified their souls as they were both then reborn back as normal humans this time. It is here that Kohta and Kaede are able to live without the burdens of their past and just live normal lives.

I would like to apologize to everyone reading this as I could not finish the story the way I wanted too.

But for the most I truly hoped everyone enjoyed the ride.


End file.
